Heliotropism and water availability effects on flowering dynamics and seed production in Macroptilium lathyroides

The experiment was carried out in pots in a glasshouse, with one plant per pot and nine repetitions per treatment. The treatments consisted of free or restricted leaves, submited to 90-100% or 60-70% soil field capacity (FC). Only independent effects of water availability or leaf movement were observed on yield components. Plants under well-watered conditions and with freely orienting leaves were taller, and had a larger number of ramifications. The greater development favored the setting of a higher number of inflorescences per plant in these treatments. This behavior resulted in a high number of flowers, green and mature legumes per plant, thus resulting in high seed production which was the most evident response to water availability. Although individual seed weight was higher in the water stress treatment, total seed production was higher for well-watered plants, with no statistically significant effect of leaf movements.

Direct effects of soybean seed vigor on weed competition

Seed vigor is one of the factors that determines the speed and uniformity of seedling emergence and initial plant growth, which are crucial aspects in the competition against weeds. The objective of this study was to verify the direct effects of soybean seed vigor on weed competition and grain yield. A field experiment was conducted with three seed lots of the "Conquista" cultivar, previously characterized by physiological tests as having high, intermediate and low vigor. The experiment was divided into weeded and unweeded plots with six treatments. Crop plant height, weed dry mass accumulation and crop grain yield data were recorded. Seed vigor did not affect plant height and grain yield. Plants which developed from seeds with high and intermediate vigor showed the best results for competition against weeds, reducing weed dry mass accumulation. Plants which developed from high vigor seeds give the best results for grain yield for both weeded and unweeded treatments.

Promoting Healthy Lifestyles with Personalized, APOE Genotype Based Health Information: The Effects on Psychological-, Health Behavioral and Clinical Factors

There is an increasing demand for individualized, genotype-based health advice. The general population-based dietary recommendations do not always motivate people to change their life-style, and partly following this, cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are a major cause of death in worldwide. Using genotype-based nutrition and health information (e.g. nutrigenetics) in health education is a relatively new approach, although genetic variation is known to cause individual differences in response to dietary factors. Response to changes in dietary fat quality varies, for example, among different APOE genotypes. Research in this field is challenging, because several non-modifiable (genetic, age, sex) and modifiable (e.g. lifestyle, dietary, physical activity) factors together and with interaction affect the risk of life-style related diseases (e.g. CVD). The other challenge is the psychological factors (e.g. anxiety, threat, stress, motivation, attitude), which also have an effect on health behavior. The genotype-based information is always a very sensitive topic, because it can also cause some negative consequences and feelings (e.g. depression, increased anxiety). The aim of this series of studies was firstly to study how individual, genotype-based health information affects an individual’s health form three aspects, and secondly whether this could be one method in the future to prevent lifestyle-related diseases, such as CVD. The first study concentrated on the psychological effects; the focus of the second study was on health behavior effects, and the third study concentrated on clinical effects. In the fourth study of this series, the focus was on all these three aspects and their associations with each other. The genetic risk and health information was the APOE gene and its effects on CVD. To study the effect of APOE genotype-based health information in prevention of CVD, a total of 151 volunteers attended the baseline assessments (T0), of which 122 healthy adults (aged 20 – 67 y) passed the inclusion criteria and started the one-year intervention. The participants (n = 122) were randomized into a control group (n = 61) and an intervention group (n = 61). There were 21 participants in the intervention Ɛ4+ group (including APOE genotypes 3/4 and 4/4) and 40 participants in the intervention Ɛ4- group (including APOE genotypes 2/3 and 3/3). The control group included 61 participants (including APOE genotypes 3/4, 4/4, 2/3, 3/3 and 2/2). The baseline (T0) and follow-up assessments (T1, T2, T3) included detailed measurements of psychological (threat and anxiety experience, stage of change), and behavioral (dietary fat quality, consumption of vegetables, - high fat/sugar foods and –alcohol, physical activity and health and taste attitudes) and clinical factors (total-, LDL- HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, blood glucose (0h and 2h), body mass index, waist circumference and body fat percentage). During the intervention six different communication sessions (lectures on healthy lifestyle and nutrigenomics, health messages by mail, and personal discussion with the doctor) were arranged. The intervention groups (Ɛ4+ and Ɛ4-) received their APOE genotype information and health message at the beginning of the intervention. The control group received their APOE genotype information after the intervention. For the analyses in this dissertation, the results for 106/107 participants were analyzed. In the intervention, there were 16 participants in the high-risk (Ɛ4+) group and 35 in the low-risk (Ɛ4-) group. The control group had 55 participants in studies III-IV and 56 participants in studies I-II. The intervention had both short-term (≤ 6 months) and long-term (12 months) effects on health behavior and clinical factors. The short-term effects were found in dietary fat quality and waist circumference. Dietary fat quality improved more in the Ɛ4+ group than the Ɛ4- and the control groups as the personal, genotype-based health information and waist circumference lowered more in the Ɛ4+ group compared with the control group. Both these changes differed significantly between the Ɛ4+ and control groups (p<0.05). A long-term effect was found in triglyceride values (p<0.05), which lowered more in Ɛ4+ compared with the control group during the intervention. Short-term effects were also found in the threat experience, which increased mostly in the Ɛ4+ group after the genetic feedback (p<0.05), but it decreased after 12 months, although remaining at a higher level compared to the baseline (T0). In addition, Study IV found that changes in the psychological factors (anxiety and threat experience, motivation), health and taste attitudes, and health behaviors (dietary, alcohol consumption, and physical activity) did not directly explain the changes in triglyceride values and waist circumference. However, change caused by a threat experience may have affected the change in triglycerides through total- and HDL cholesterol. In conclusion, this dissertation study has given some indications that individual, genotypebased health information could be one potential option in the future to prevent lifestyle-related diseases in public health care. The results of this study imply that personal genetic information, based on APOE, may have positive effects on dietary fat quality and some cardiovascular risk markers (e.g., improvement in triglyceride values and waist circumference). This study also suggests that psychological factors (e.g. anxiety and threat experience) may not be an obstacle for healthy people to use genotype-based health information to promote healthy lifestyles. However, even in the case of very personal health information, in order to achieve a permanent health behavior change, it is important to include attitudes and other psychological factors (e.g. motivation), as well as intensive repetition and a longer intervention duration. This research will serve as a basis for future studies and its information can be used to develop targeted interventions, including health information based on genotyping that would aim at preventing lifestyle diseases. People’s interest in personalized health advices has increased, while also the costs of genetic screening have decreased. Therefore, generally speaking, it can be assumed that genetic screening as a part of the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases may become more common in the future. In consequence, more research is required about how to make genetic screening a practical tool in public health care, and how to efficiently achieve long-term changes.

Moderating effects of gender and general self-efficacy on the relationship between sensation-seeking and adolescent substance use /

This study performed a aecondvy dau analysis of information collected during the Youth Leisure Study (YLS). The purpose of this study was to examine the potential moderating influences of gender and general self-efTicacy on the relationships aoKXig sensation-seeking and various forms of substance use in adolescents. Specifically, the predictive ability of sensation seeking on five adolescents substance use outcomes (alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use; binge drinking; and number of times drunk) was examined. Moderated hierarchical multiple regression (MHMR) analyses were used to examine the relationships among study variables. The results for this study indicate that the relationships among sensation-seeking and forms of adolescent substance use are more complex than literature suggests. Main effect relationships were found consistently for sensation-seeking and general self-efficacy with each of the outcome variables. Results for gender were not consistent across the substance use outcomes. Gender was a significant predictor for marijuana use only. The moderating effects of general self-efficacy (GSE) on the sensation-seekingsubstance use relationship were inconsistent. While no significant interactions were found for tobacco or alcohol use outcomes, GSE was found to moderate the relationship between sensation-seeking and marijuana use indicating that feelings of high general selfefficacy act as a buffer or guard against marijuana use. A consistent pattern was found among the alcohol use variables (alcohol use. binge drinking, and number of times drunk). Gender was found to moderate each of these variables indicating that higher levels of sensation seeking are more predictive of higher levels of adolescent alcohol use in males only. Implications of this study on the field of education, are discussed further, and suggestions for future research are presented.

Study of colossal magnetoresistance and pressure effects in La2/3Ca1/3MnO2 thin films /

The main purpose of this thesis is to study properties of La2/3Cai/3Mn03, both polycrystalline ceramics and thin films. This material has striking related electrical and magnetic properties. Thin films show colossal negative magnetoresistance (CMR) near transition from an insulating to a metallic state accompanied closely by transition from a paramagnetic to a ferromagnetic state. The double exchange mechanism (DE) and the Jahn-Teller deformations play an important role in CMR effect. Applied pressure has a very similar effect as does an applied magnetic field, except, at low temperatures (Tfield suppresses the resistivity more than pressure. In our study we performed x-ray diffraction analysis, resistivity and magnetization measurements, as well as measurements of resistivity under applied pressure. The origin of strong resistivity change at low temperatures can be explcdned by the intergranular spin-dependent scattering of DE electrons. Oxygen stoichiometry plays an important role in the magnitude and position of MR(T) maximum. The distortions of structure and Mn-O-Mn bonds in applied pressure axe discussed. The fabrication of La2/3Cai/3Mn03 thin films by pulsed laser deposition was successfully developed. The films grown on (100) SrTiOs substrate are c-axis oriented and exhibit negative magnetoresistance Ap/p(H) of over 400% at 245°C and 4200% at 90 K.

Effect of age on female choice in the field cricket, Gryllus interger

Female choice is an important element of sexual selection that may vary among females of the same species. Few researchers have investigated the causes of variation in selectivity with respect to potential mates and overall level of motivation toward a stimulus source representative of a mate. This study demonstrates that female age may be one cause of variation in female choice. Females of different ages may have different mate preferences. As females age, they have less time left to reproduce, and their residual reproductive value decreases. This should correspond to a higher reproductive effort which may be represented as increased motivation and/or decreased selectivity. The effect of age on mate choice in Gryllus integer was investigated by using a non-compensating treadmill, called the Kugel, to measure female phonotaxis. Artificially generated male calling songs of varying pulse rates were broadcast in either a singlestimulus or a three-stimulus experimental design. The pulse rates used in the calling song stimuli were 70, 64, 76, 55 and 85 pulses per second. These corresponded to the documented mean pulse rate for the species at the experimental temperature, one standard deviation below and above the mean, and 2.5 standard deviations below and above the mean, respectively. Test females were either 11-14 days or 25-28 days post-ecdysis. Trials usually were conducted two to seven hours into the scotophase. In the single-stimulus experiment, females were presented with stimuli with only one pulse rate. Older females achieved higher vector scores than younger females, indicating that older females are more motivated to mate. Both groups showed little phonotactic response towards 55 or 85 pIs, both of which lie outside the natural range of G. integer calling song at the experimental temperature. Neither group discriminated among the three pulse rates that fell within the natural range of calling song. In the three-stimulus experiment, females were presented with stimuli with one of three pulse rates, 64, 70 or 76 pIs, In alternation. Both age groups had reduced responsiveness in this experiment, perhaps due to an increase in perceived male density. Additionally, younger females responded significantly more to 64 and 70 pIs than to the higher pulse rate, indicating that they are selective with respect to mate choice. Older females did not discriminate among the three pulse rates. Therefore, it was concluded that selectivity decreases with age. A further study was conducted to determine that these effects were due to age and not due to the differing periods without a mating between the two age groups. Again, stimuli were presented in a three-stimulus experimental design. Age was held constant at 28 days and time since last mating varied from 11 to 25 days. Females varyIng in time since last mating did not differ in their responses to the calling song pulse rates. This indicated that the increased motivation and decreased selectivity exhibited In the initial experiments were due to age and not to time without a mating. Neither time of trial nor female weight had an effect upon female phonotaxis. Data are discussed in terms of mate choice, residual reproductive value, and costs of choice.

Sexual selections in the northern fall field cricket, Gryllus pennsylvanicus: a manipulation of the adult sex ratio

The operational sex ratio has long been considered an important constraint on the structure of mating systems. The effects of an experimentally manipulated sex ratio on mating behavior and selection were investigated in a polygynous species, Gryllus pennsylvanicus, where the potential exists for spatial/temporal fluctuations in sex ratio of field populations. Four different sex ratios (males: females, 5:0, 5:2, 5:5, 5:10) were investigated. Observations were conducted in late summer over two field seasons, from 2400 h , to 1000 h EST. Several male characters thought to be associated with male reproduc.tive success were studied: calling duration, searching distance, weight, fighting behavior, courtship frequency, and mating success. Variance in male mating success was used as the indicator for the opportunity for sexual selection. Total selection was estimated as the univariate regression coefficient between relative fitness and the character of interest, while direct selection was estimated as standardized partial regression coefficients generated from a multiple regression of relative fitness on each character. The opportunity for sexual selection was highest at 5:2 and lowest at 5:10. The frequency of fighting behavior was highest at 5:2 and 5:5. Fighting ability (% wins) was determined to be an important correlate of male body weight. Direct selection for increased male body weight was detected at 5:2, while total selection for body weight was seen at 5:5. Selection on male body weight was not detected at 5: 10. Calling duration decreased as sex ratio became more female-biased. Total and direct selection were detected for increased calling at 5:2, only total selection for calling was seen at 5:5, whereas direct selection against calling was detected at 5: 10. Searching distance also decreased as sex ratio became more female-biased, however no form of selection was detected for searching at any of the sex ratios. Data are discussed in terms of sexual selection on male reproductive tactics, the mating system and maintenance of genetic variation in male reproductive behavior.

The effect of diet and parasite load on female phonotaxis in the Texas field cricket, Gryllus integer

Female crickets respond selectively to variations in species-specific male calling songs. This selectivity has been shown to be age-dependent; older females are less choosy. However, female quality should also affect female selectivity. The effect of female quality on mate choice was examined in Gryllus integer by comparing the phonotactic responses of females on different diets and with different parasite loads to various synthetic models of conspecific calling song. Test females were virgin, 11-14 days old, and had been maintained on one of five diets varying in protein and fat content. Phonotaxis was quantified using a non-compensating Kugel treadmill which generates vector scores incorporating the speed and direction of movement of each female. Test females were presented with four calling song models which differed in pulse rate, but were still within the natural range of the species for the experimental temperature. After testing, females were dissected and the number of gregarine parasites within the digestive tract counted. There were no significant effects of either diet or parasitism on female motivation to mate although the combined effects of these variables seem to have an effect with no apparent trend. Control females did not discriminate among song types, but there was a trend of female preferences for lower pulse rates which are closest to the mean pulse rate for the species. Heavily parasitized females did not discriminate among pulse rates altho~gh there was a similar trend of high vector scores for low pulse rates. Diet, however, affected selectivity with poorly-fed females showing significantly high vector scores for pulse rates near the species mean. Such findings raise interesting questions about energy allocation and costs and risks of phonotaxis and mate choice in acoustic Orthoptera. These results are discussed in terms of sexual selection and female mate choice.

The effect of gregarine parasite infections, age, and diet on calling song structure and mating behaviour in the Texas field cricket, Gryllus integer

In the past ten years, many researchers have focussed their attention on parasites regarding the role they may play in causing variations in male secondary sexual traits and subsequent effects on female choice. Male age has also been suggested to be an important factor in female choice if old age reflects superior genes. This study investigated the effects that gregarine gut parasites, age, and diet have on the calling and mating behaviour of the male Texas field cricket, Gryllus integer. Male calling songs were recorded in the laboratory using a Digital Signal Processing Network. The song parameters measured were: pulse rate, pulse width, burst duration, pulses per burst, interburst interval, and percent missing pulses. The effects of parasite load and age on the various calling song parameters was investigated in crickets that were fed two different diets varying in nutritional quality. None of the calling song parameters were affected by either parasite load or age in either diet grou p. Courtship behaviour was ob served and recorded using an Eventlog recorder on an IBM computer in the laboratory. Females mated equally with paras(tized and unparasitized males and with old and young males The total duration and proportion of time spent performing each of 9 courtship displays were recorded for males on each diet. Only one display was affected by parasite load. Highly parasitized males fed the nutritionally inferior diet juddered for a proportionately shorter time than males with low parasite loads. Also, older males performed juddering and shaking antennae proportionally longer and juddering and raising wings for longer durations than younger males. Males that successfully mated were observed for performance of 8 post-copulatory guarding behaviour displays. None of the guarding behaviours were affected by parasite load. However, one display was affected by age, with older males performing guard turning for shorter durations than younger males. Results are discuss,ed in terms of the influence of parasites and age on female choice.

The effects of moisture, cation concentration, temperature, density and composition of soils on their electrical resistivity

The effects. of moisture, cation concentration, dens ity , temper~ t ure and grai n si ze on the electrical resistivity of so il s are examined using laboratory prepared soils. An i nexpen si ve method for preparing soils of different compositions was developed by mixing various size fractions i n the laboratory. Moisture and cation c oncentration are related to soil resistivity by powe r functions, whereas soil resistiv ity and temperature, density, Yo gravel, sand , sil t, and clay are related by exponential functions . A total of 1066 cases (8528 data) from all the experiments were used in a step-wise multiple linear r egression to determine the effect of each variable on soil resistivity. Six variables out of the eight variables studied account for 92.57/. of the total variance in so il resistivity with a correlation coefficient of 0.96. The other two variables (silt and gravel) did not increase the · variance. Moisture content was found to be - the most important Yo clay. variable- affecting s oil res istivi ty followed by These two variables account for 90.81Yo of the total variance in soil resistivity with a correlation ~oefficient ·.of 0 . 95. Based on these results an equation to ' ~~ed{ ct soil r esist ivi ty using moisture and Yo clay is developed . To t est the predicted equation, resistivity measurements were made on natural soils both in s i tu a nd i n the laboratory. The data show that field and laboratory measurements are comparable. The predicted regression line c losely coinciqes with resistivity data from area A and area B soils ~clayey and silty~clayey sands). Resistivity data and the predicted regression line in the case of c layey soils (clays> 40%) do not coincide, especially a t l ess than 15% moisture. The regression equation overestimates the resistivity of so i l s from area C and underestimates for area D soils. Laboratory prepared high clay soils give similar trends. The deviations are probably caused by heterogeneous distribution of mo i sture and difference in the type o f cl ays present in these soils.

Quantum Monte Carlo study of electrostatic polarizabilities of H and He atoms /

The infinitesimal differential quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) technique is used to estimate electrostatic polarizabilities of the H and He atoms up to the sixth order in the electric field perturbation. All 542 different QMC estimators of the nonzero atomic polarizabilities are derived and used in order to decrease the statistical error and to obtain the maximum efficiency of the simulations. We are confident that the estimates are "exact" (free of systematic error): the two atoms are nodeless systems, hence no fixed-node error is introduced. Furthermore, we develope and use techniques which eliminate systematic error inherent when extrapolating our results to zero time-step and large stack-size. The QMC results are consistent with published accurate values obtained using perturbation methods. The precision is found to be related to the number of perturbations, varying from 2 to 4 significant digits.

The investigation of edge effects within ragmented forest islands in Short Hills Provincial Park

It has been well documented, within the field of landscape ecology, that terrestrial fragmentation contributes to increased heterogeneity at the landscape level. It has also been observed that elevated areas of edge habitat occur within fragmented landscapes. Spatial and temporal edge effects were investigated in four areas designated as Nature Reserve Zones within Short Hills Provincial Park, near St. Catharines, Ontario. Random sampling along exposed edges was performed on trees and saplings, at 5 and 25 ill edge depths, using the point-centred quarter method. Diameter at breast height (dbh) and distance from point measurements were used to establish relative density, dominance, frequency and importance value. One-way analyses of variance were used on dbh measurements of tree species and Chi-Square contingency tables were used on size class distributions of saplings species to determine significant differences between 5 and 25 metres. Qualitative comparisons of importance values were also used to determine differences between 5 and 25 metres as well as between trees and saplings. These statistical and qualitative comparisons suggest that a significant overall spatial edge effect is currently exhibited by fragmented wooded islands within the park. The major species of the park, Acersaccharuln, may be exhibiting a temporal edge effect. The heterogeneous nature of the park may be of importance in understanding this area as a complex, ecological system. It is possible that the remaining forest tracts of the park have been affected, and continue to be affected by previous disturbances. Based on these findings, recommendations are made to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources concerning the management of Short Hills Provincial Park in accordance with their 1990 proposed Management Plan.

The Effects of Annealing URu2Si2 on the Resistivity and Meissner Effect

The enigmatic heavy fermion URu2Si2, which is the subject of this thesis, has attracted intensive theoretical and experimental research since 1984 when it was firstly reported by Schlabitz et al. at a conference [1]. The previous bulk property measurements clearly showed that one second order phase transition occurs at the Hidden Order temperature THO ≈ 17.5 K and another second order phase transition, the superconducting transition, occurs at Tc ≈ 1 K. Though twenty eight years have passed, the mechanisms behind these two phase transitions are still not clear to researchers. Perfect crystals do not exist. Different kinds of crystal defects can have considerable effects on the crystalline properties. Some of these defects can be eliminated, and hence the crystalline quality improved, by annealing. Previous publications showed that some bulk properties of URu2Si2 exhibited significant differences between as-grown samples and annealed samples. The present study shows that the annealing of URu2Si2 has some considerable effects on the resistivity and the DC magnetization. The effects of annealing on the resistivity are characterized by examining how the Residual Resistivity Ratio (RRR), the fitting parameters to an expression for the temperature dependence of the resistivity, the temperatures of the local maximum and local minimum of the resistivity at the Hidden Order phase transition and the Hidden Order Transition Width ∆THO change after annealing. The plots of one key fitting parameter, the onset temperature of the Hidden Order transition and ∆THO vs RRR are compared with those of Matsuda et al. [2]. Different media used to mount samples have some impact on how effectively the samples are cooled because the media have different thermal conductivity. The DC magnetization around the superconducting transition is presented for one unannealed sample under fields of 25 Oe and 50 Oe and one annealed sample under fields of 0 Oe and 25 Oe. The DC field dependent magnetization of the annealed Sample1-1 shows a typical field dependence of a Type-II superconductor. The lower critical field Hc1 is relatively high, which may be due to flux pinning by the crystal defects.

FosteraTM PRRS modified live vaccine efficacy against a Canadian heterologous virulent field strain of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV).

Vaccination is a useful option to control infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV), and several modified live-PRRSV vaccines have been developed. These vaccines have shown some efficacy in reducing the incidence and severity of clinical disease as well as the duration of viremia and virus shedding but have failed to provide sterilizing immunity. The efficacy of modified live-virus (MLV) vaccines is greater against a homologous strain compared with heterologous PRRSV strains. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Fostera PRRS MLV vaccine in protecting against challenge with a heterologous field strain widely circulating in the swine herds of eastern Canada. Forty-six piglets were divided into 4 groups: nonvaccinated-nonchallenged; nonvaccinated-challenged; vaccinated-challenged; and vaccinated-nonchallenged. The animals were vaccinated at 23 d of age with Fostera PRRS and challenged 23 d later with a heterologous field strain of PRRSV (FMV12-1425619). Overall, the vaccine showed some beneficial effects in the challenged animals by reducing the severity of clinical signs and the viral load. A significant difference between nonvaccinated and vaccinated animals was detected for some parameters starting 11 to 13 d after challenge, which suggested that the cell-mediated immune response or other delayed responses could be more important than pre-existing PRRSV antibodies in vaccinated animals within the context of protection against heterologous strains.

Spray Pyrolysed Zinc Oxide Thin Films : Effects of Doping and Ion Beam Irradiation

In recent years scientists have made rapid and significant advances in the field of semiconductor physics. One of the most important fields of current interest in materials science is the fundamental aspects and applications of conducting transparent oxide thin films (TCO). The characteristic properties of such coatings are low electrical resistivity and high transparency in the visible region. The first semitransparent and electrically conducting CdO film was reported as early as in 1907 [1]. Though early work on these films was performed out of purely scientific interest, substantial technological advances in such films were made after 1940. The technological interest in the study of transparent semiconducting films was generated mainly due to the potential applications of these materials both in industry and research. Such films demonstrated their utility as transparent electrical heaters for windscreens in the aircraft industry. However, during the last decade, these conducting transparent films have been widely used in a variety of other applications such as gas sensors [2], solar cells [3], heat reflectors [4], light emitting devices [5] and laser damage resistant coatings in high power laser technology [6]. Just a few materials dominate the current TCO industry and the two dominant markets for TCO’s are in architectural applications and flat panel displays. The architectural use of TCO is for energy efficient windows. Fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), deposited using a pyrolysis process is the TCO usually finds maximum application. SnO2 also finds application ad coatings for windows, which are efficient in preventing radiative heat loss, due to low emissivity (0.16). Pyrolitic tin oxide is used in PV modules, touch screens and plasma displays. However indium tin oxide (ITO) is mostly used in the majority of flat panel display (FPD) applications. In FPDs, the basic function of ITO is as transparent electrodes. The volume of FPD’s produced, and hence the volume of ITO coatings produced, continues to grow rapidly. But the current increase in the cost of indium and the scarcity of this material created the difficulty in obtaining low cost TCOs. Hence search for alternative TCO materials has been a topic of active research for the last few decades. This resulted in the development of binary materials like ZnO, SnO2, CdO and ternary materials like II Zn2SnO4, CdSb2O6:Y, ZnSO3, GaInO3 etc. The use of multicomponent oxide materials makes it possible to have TCO films suitable for specialized applications because by altering their chemical compositions, one can control the electrical, optical, chemical and physical properties. But the advantages of using binary materials are the easiness to control the chemical compositions and depositions conditions. Recently, there were reports claiming the deposition of CdO:In films with a resistivity of the order of 10-5 ohm cm for flat panel displays and solar cells. However they find limited use because of Cd-Toxicity. In this regard, ZnO films developed in 1980s, are very useful as these use Zn, an abundant, inexpensive and nontoxic material. Resistivity of this material is still not very low, but can be reduced through doping with group-III elements like In, Al or Ga or with F [6]. Hence there is a great interest in ZnO as an alternative of ITO. In the present study, we prepared and characterized transparent and conducting ZnO thin films, using a cost effective technique viz Chemical Spray Pyrolysis (CSP). This technique is also suitable for large area film deposition. It involves spraying a solution, (usually aqueous) containing soluble salts of the constituents of the desired compound, onto a heated substrate.