Priority research questions for the UK food system

The rise of food security up international political, societal and academic agendas has led to increasing interest in novel means of improving primary food production and reducing waste. There are however, also many ‘post-farm gate’ activities that are critical to food security, including processing, packaging, distributing, retailing, cooking and consuming. These activities all affect a range of important food security elements, notably availability, affordability and other aspects of access, nutrition and safety. Addressing the challenge of universal food security, in the context of a number of other policy goals (e.g. social, economic and environmental sustainability), is of keen interest to a range of UK stakeholders but requires an up-to-date evidence base and continuous innovation. An exercise was therefore conducted, under the auspices of the UK Global Food Security Programme, to identify priority research questions with a focus on the UK food system (though the outcomes may be broadly applicable to other developed nations). Emphasis was placed on incorporating a wide range of perspectives (‘world views’) from different stakeholder groups: policy, private sector, non-governmental organisations, advocacy groups and academia. A total of 456 individuals submitted 820 questions from which 100 were selected by a process of online voting and a three-stage workshop voting exercise. These 100 final questions were sorted into 10 themes and the ‘top’ question for each theme identified by a further voting exercise. This step also allowed four different stakeholder groups to select the top 7–8 questions from their perspectives. Results of these voting exercises are presented. It is clear from the wide range of questions prioritised in this exercise that the different stakeholder groups identified specific research needs on a range of post-farm gate activities and food security outcomes. Evidence needs related to food affordability, nutrition and food safety (all key elements of food security) featured highly in the exercise. While there were some questions relating to climate impacts on production, other important topics for food security (e.g. trade, transport, preference and cultural needs) were not viewed as strongly by the participants.

Cladistic analysis of the suborder Conulariina Miller and Gurley, 1896 (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa; Vendian-Triassic)

Results of a cladistic analysis of the suborder Conulariina Miller and Gurley, 1896, a major extinct (Vendian-Triassic) group of scyphozoan cnidarians, are presented. The analysis sought to test whether the three conulariid subfamilies (Conulariinae Walcott, 1886, Paraconulariinae Sinclair, 1952 and Ctenoconulariinae Sinclair, 1952) recognized in the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology ( TIP) are monophyletic. A total of 17 morphological characters were scored for 16 ingroup taxa, namely the genera Archaeoconularia, Baccaconularia, Climacoconus, Conularia, Conulariella, Conularina, Ctenoconularia, Eoconularia, Glyptoconularia, Metaconularia, Notoconularia, Paraconularia, Pseudoconularia, Reticulaconularia, Teresconularia and Vendoconularia. The extant medusozoan taxa Cubozoa, Stauromedusae, Coronatae and Semaeostomeae served as outgroups. Unweighted analysisof the data matrix yielded 1057 trees, and successive weighting analysis resulted in one of the 1057 original trees. The ingroup is monophyletic with two autapomorphies: (1) the quadrate geometry of the oral region; and (2) the presence of a mineralized (phosphatic) periderm. Within the ingroup, the clade (Vendoconularia, Teresconularia, Conularina, Eoconularia) is supported by the sinusoidal longitudinal geometry of the transverse ridges, and the much larger clade (Baccaconularia, Glyptoconularia, Metaconularia, Pseudoconularia, Conularia, Ctenoconularia, Archaeoconularia, Notoconularia, Climacoconus, Paraconularia, Reticulaconularia) is supported by the presence of external tubercles, which, however, were lost in the clade (Notoconularia, Climacoconus, Paraconularia, Reticulaconularia). As proposed by Van Iten et al. (2000), the clade (Notoconularia, Climacoconus, Paraconularia, Reticulaconularia) is supported by the termination and alternation of the transverse ribs in the corner sulcus. The previously recognized subfamilies Conulariinae, Paraconulariinae and Ctenoconulariinae were not recovered from this analysis. The diagnostic features of Conulariinae (continuation of the transverse ornament across the corner sulcus and lack of carinae) and Ctenoconulariinae ( presence of carinae) are symplesiomorphic or homoplastic, and Paraconulariinae is polyphyletic. The families Conulariellidae Kiderlen, 1937 and Conulariopsidae Sugiyama, 1942, also recognized in the TIP, are monogeneric, and since they provide no additional phylogenetic information, should be abandoned.

Arthur Miller: Spirituality Explored

Following the overview of his life, I will discuss in depth various theme that Miller presents in his writing by closely analyzing four of Miller's plays. I will give you a brief setting into which Miller wrote the various plots.

Frieda Levine Miller Scrapbook

Frieda Levine Miller was born to William and Sarah Ida Levine on March 26, 1896 and died August 24, 1990. The scrapbook contains family memories, death certificate, eulogies, newspaper clippings, family photographs, a high school graduation program, letters, and announcement of the marriage of her daughter Glenyce.

Levine Family Reunion Members, interviewed by Wendy Miller in September 2009: Transcript

The Levine family held an extensive reunion during the Summer of 2009 during which 29 DVDs of raw material were recorded for use in the creation of a Levine family mini-documentary. Many of these DVDs contain oral history interviews conducted by Wendy Miller, one of the organizers of the reunion. Although these interviews were not designed for historical research, they contain valuable historical information. Some of the family members interviewed include: Ben Arnon (4/5), Marjorie, Stephen, and Michael Kaplan (8), Glenyce Miller Kaplan (starts in 15, continues in 9; separate interview in 13), Burt, Phyllis, and Louis Shiro (9) [Burt Shiro also in 26/27], Myrt and Gordon Wolman (9), Ted and Billy Alfond (10), Barbara and Joan Alfond (10), Susan and Peter Alfond (10), Alice Emory [caregiver for Bibby] (11), Eric Bloom and Stu Cushner (11), Saralee Kaplan Bloom (11), Sarah Miller Arnon (12), Kayla and Jenna Cushner (12), Josh Soros and Eliana Miller-Kaplan (12), Sarah, Wendy, and Julie Miller (starts in 12, continues in 14), Bill Shutzer (13), Maschia and Glicka Kaplan, Sharon Kushner, Dan Hood (13), Gene, Alex, Kate Cohen (14), Ben, Jeremy, Joselyn Arnon (14), Wendy and Julie Miller at the store (15), and Eric Bloom (15).

A Reading by Jane Miller

A reading delivered at Colby College on March 19, 1986.

Avaliando a hipótese de Miller em ADRs Latino - Americano

O objetivo central deste trabalho é avaliar empiricamente a hipótese de Miller no contexto de ADRs de empresas latino americanas. Miller (1977) argumenta que restrições à venda a descoberto impedem a participação dos investidores pessimistas no mercado de ações. A participação excessiva dos investidores otimistas no mercado cria distorções nos preços. Nestas condições, o retorno futuro de ações caracterizadas por grande dispersão de crenças, tende a ser menor que o previsto inicialmente.

A comparative study on the "American innocence" issue : Henry Jame's The American and Daisy Miller : a study

Esta dissertação aborda a questão da “inocência americana” em duas obras do escritor norte-americano Henry James, empregando conceitos da Literatura Comparada como base para a análise dos textos escolhidos: The American e Daisy Miller: A Study. Portanto, os conceitos de intertextualidade, influência e alteridade são fundamentais para o estabelecimento das confluências e divergências entre as duas obras. Este trabalho também apresenta uma análise, com base na teoria comparatista da interdisciplinaridade, entre a obra literária Daisy Miller: A Study e o filme Daisy Miller, dirigido por Peter Bogdanovich. O tema recorrente nas obras analisadas, o da “inocência americana”, foi abordado por Henry James em grande parte de sua produção literária, sendo um reflexo de sua própria experiência como o “outro”, bem como de suas observações sobre seus compatriotas, quando confrontados com os valores e tradições vigentes na Europa, no século XIX. James alcançou seu merecido lugar no cânone literário ocidental, graças ao seu estilo incomparável, o qual foi aperfeiçoando durante toda sua carreira e até hoje é parâmetro para escritores contemporâneos.

Tratamentos de fibras de carnaúba [copernicia prunífera (miller) h. e. moore] para o desenvolvimento de compósito biodegradável com matriz de polihidroxibutirato

The use of raw materials from renewable sources for production of materials has been the subject of several studies and researches, because of its potential to substitute petrochemical-based materials. The addition of natural fibers to polymers represents an alternative in the partial or total replacement of glass fibers in composites. In this work, carnauba leaf fibers were used in the production of biodegradable composites with polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) matrix. To improve the interfacial properties fiber / matrix were studied four chemical treatments to the fibers..The effect of the different chemical treatments on the morphological, physical, chemical and mechanical properties of the fibers and composites were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile and flexural tests, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), thermogravimetry (TGA) and diferential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The results of tensile tests indicated an increase in tensile strength of the composites after the chemical treatment of the fibers, with best results for the hydrogen peroxide treated fibers, even though the tensile strength of fibers was slightly reduced. This suggests a better interaction fiber/matrix which was also observed by SEM fractographs. The glass transition temperature (Tg) was reduced for all composites compared to the pure polymer which can be attributed to the absorption of solvents, moisture and other low molecular weight molecules by the fibers

Uso sustentável da Copernicia prunifera (Miller) H. E Moore no semiárido potiguar: valorização de saberes e conservação dos recursos genéticos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior