The present investigation was undertaken to survey the general features of physiological responses of plants to NO2, and to understand the mechanism of inhibition of gas exchange by NO2. To achieve these objectives, the effects of NO2, on photosynthesis, respiration and transpiration and the rate of NO2, uptake by primary bean (Phaseolus vulgaris. L. cv. 'Pure Gold wax'), leaves were examined in various environmental conditions using an open gas flow system. Apparent photosynthesis, respiration and the evolution of CO2, into CO2- free air, were all inhibited by NO2, concentrations between 1.0 and 7.0 ppm. The degree of inhibition was increased by increasing NO2, concentration and exposure time. A 2 and 5 h exposure to 3.0 ppm NO2, inhibited the gas exchange of bean leaves at all plant ages and in all the environmental conditions examined. Photosynthesis was most inhibited in leaves of intermediate ages, at optimum temperatures, at high light intensities, at relative humidities between 45 and 80% and in leaves of plants grown without any external source of nitrogen. The inhibition was rather less affected by changing C02 or 02 concentration. Maximum inhibition of respiration was observed in the youngest leaves, at high temperatures and in the leaves of nitrogen deficient plants. In most cases, the maximum inhibition of C02 exchange coincided with the maximum control rate in the absence of NO2. The inhibition of transpiration by NO2, was generally small and in a few cases either there was no effect of NO2, on transpiration or it was slightly increased by NO2. This indicated that the primary effects of NO2, were within the leaf mesophyll and not on the stomata. The uptake of N02 was also modified by plant age and environmental conditions. The rate of NO2 uptake increased with increasing concentrations of N02 and decreased with increasing exposure time. It was highest in the leaves of intermediate ages, in the light, at higher temperatures, at low and O2 concentrations, and in nitrogen deficient plants. In most cases, the maximum rate of N02 uptake was correlated with the maximum inhibition of gas exchange, but in several cases, it was not. Although stomatal resistance influenced the rate of N02 uptake to some extent, mesophyll resistance to NO2 was mainly responsible for the regulation of its absorption. In addition to Phaseolus vulgaris L.,10 other angiosperm species were examined. All species absorbed substantial amounts of N02 from an atmosphere of 3.0 ppm NO2, and all experienced a concomitant inhibition of photosynthesis. The rates of N02 uptake and the degree of inhibition varied according to species. The average rate of N02 uptake after a 2 h exposure to 3.0 ppm N02 -2 -1 was 0.391 mg N02 dm h and the average inhibition of photosynthesis with the same dose of N02 was 14.3%. An estimation of N02 uptake on a worldwide basis indicated that a concentration of 0.1 ppm N02 in the world's atmosphere could provide as much as 11% of the total nitrogen requirement of the terrestrial plants. Furthermore, the experiments reveal that the effect of N02 on plant metabolism is not restricted to a particular pathway or process; rather it is generalized. It appears that N02 may inhibit gas exchange by disrupting the structure of cell organelles and/or by interfering with the activities of enzymes. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Using a basic qualitative approach, interviews were conducted with five agents in North Dakota with a range of experiences and lengths of service to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of Common Measures, a set of survey instruments designed to assess the impact of the 4-H program. The study addresses the culture of North Dakota Extension’s views on evaluation and the implementation of Common Measures. The use of a state-wide reporting tool to assess the 4-H program in North Dakota was perceived as necessary, however, many agents felt Common Measures, missed the mark and did not meet the North Dakota reporting. The ability to tell the story of the 4-H program and the long-term impact it has on youth is necessary to the success of any state-wide reporting venture. Additional training on how alternative forms of data collection can be used to tell the story of their program is needed.

Common beans are one of the most important food and cash crops for most Malawians. The insufficient production of the crop in the country coupled with low yields has made scientists give much interest to the crop so that they can address the constraints to the productivity problems. In this regard, breeders have been engaged in the development and release of improved varieties of common beans which in most cases are disease resistant, high yielding, drought resistant, and fast cooking. Therefore it is the interest of this study to find the reasons why productivity of the crop is still low despite the release of the improved varieties. The study adopted contingent valuation (CV), a method frequently used to assess willingnessto- pay of people for non-market goods or services and this was applied to assess farmer’s willingness-to-pay for the new improved bean seed varieties which are high yielding. Double bounded dichotomous choice with an open ended follow-up format was used to obtain the household’s willingness-to-pay. In addition; the study reviewed the existing dissemination channels of bean seed to make recommendations with regard to seed supply. Descriptive statistics from the 132 households interviewed shows that the structural constraints to seed acquisition are compounded by farmers’ poverty. Otherwise, most farmers are aware of the existence of improved varieties of common bean seed and perceive that with the use of this seed, productivity can improve hence willing to pay for the good. The study is 95% confident that mean price farmers are willing to pay for improved common bean seed is between MK 527.78 and MK 591.92. Three major existing informal dissemination channels of bean seed were discovered in the study areas. Therefore there is a need for government to work in collaboration with NGOs towards ensuring a formal supply system of bean seed characterised by vertically organised production and dissemination of tested and approved seed varieties, and using strict quality control rules, so that farmers can be assured of accessing improved seed varieties. This will increase the nation’s food security. / Dissertation (MSc Agric)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2014 / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

archives@tulane.edu / 1 / Mengde Liu

Participatory planning and design is a subject that has been around for quite some time. It has been theorized by several authors and put in practice by many practitioners. After going through some of the literature and studying in detail some real-life participatory experiences, it’s still hard to tackle the subject because of its complexity. I could have tried to simplify it and look into one type of participation, but instead I tried to understand it in all its complexity and diversity, maybe leaving some unsolved questions. Throughout this semester I studied four different cases of participatory planning/design and I analyzed and compared them. These are located in Paris (France), Medellín (Colombia), Banjarmasin (Indonesia) and Gothenburg (Sweden). I looked at them through some of the concepts I found in the literature, like for example the idea of desire treated by Doina Petrescu in some of her texts.  After extracting some conclusions from the case studies I got involved in a real-life participatory process carried out in the School of Architecture at KTH to include students, teachers and others in the design of a new location for the school. I took part in one of their meetings and I had three parallel workshops in English with the participation of some students. This helped me experience and understand better what participation really means and implies. I put myself in the role of a facilitator who initiates a process, and therefore carries it out. I learned about the importance of the invitation to participate and how important it is to be clear on the activities and questions posed to the participants.

Problem and its importance: Starter is the "heart" of the cheese making industry. only by proper handling of starter can good quality cheese be made. The economic loss from contaminated starter may prove disastrous to a cheese plant if proper corrective measures are not taken. Milk usually contains a variety of bacteria. Under plant conditions some of these bacteria get into the mother starter or bulk starter unless extreme caution is used. Comparatively little is known about how one organism influences another when grown in milk. This problem is important in the cheese industry. Purpose: The purpose of this research project is to determin the effect of some common contaminants on cheese starters. Some of the off flavors and slow acid production found in cheese making may be due to the results of contaminant organisms growing with the starter organisms. If this be true, more information on this subject will prove valuable. Some organisms have detrimental effects on milk. The question arises: What will two different organisms do when grown together in milk? Streptococcus lactis is important in the cheese industry because it satisfactorily produces the acid necessary in cheese making. If some organism inhibits or stimulates this acid production when grown with Streptococcus lactis, it is important that the cheesemaker know this. Scope: Only those contaminants commonly found in dairy products are considered in this project. Simulated plant conditions are used; that is, the starter being tested is contaminated one evening and the results checked and read the next day. Commercial lactic acid cheese starter from the Hansen's Laboratories and milk from the Utah State Agricultural College Creamery are used to propagate the starter. Different percentages of the contaminant are added to the starter to determine the effects of varying numbers of the contaminant on the starter organisms. A control starter is incubated and tested along with the contaminated starter. After the starters have been incubated at 70°F. Overnight, the following tests are run on each one: activity, acidity, pH, creatine, odor and appearance, and microscopic count. Starter vitality may be determined by the above tests; however, these do not indicate how the contaminant organisms affect cheese when carried on into the cheese making process. Therefore, this project is limited to the effects of contaminants on the starter and not on cheese. This latter problem is reserved for future investigators.

No description available.

A dissertation submitted to the faculty of science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Johannesburg, August 2017 / MT 2018

This study focused on determining whether the administration of the common schools of District Four in Texas can be made to function more effectively without changing the external structure of the administrative organization and to determine whether the administrative duties are being performed in a fairly uniform manner.

This study compares the counselor credibility of therapists who use problem-focused with those who use solution-focused language. Participants from two undergraduate classes at a southeastern state university were assigned to one of two eight-minute videotapes of a role-played family therapy session: problem-focused or solution-focused. This study is a posttest only quasi-experimental design. One group (N=35) viewed a videotape of a session that used solution-focused language. Another group (N=38) viewed a videotape of a session that used problem-focused language. The same therapist conducted both sessions and the same actors were used as the client couple. After viewing the videotape, participants rated the therapist's credibility (as measured by the Counselor Rating Form - Short Version), completed a Demographic Questionnaire and answered three open-ended questions. Two research questions were examined in this study: (1) Do potential clients perceive a therapist using solution-focused language as more attractive, experienced, trustworthy, and more credible than the same therapist using problem-focused language? (2) What other variables affect potential clients' view of the therapist? No significant differences in counselor credibility were found between the two groups. Three categories were discovered in the analysis of the open-ended questions: therapist characteristics, actions/skills of therapist, and other. When asked what they liked the most about the therapist, the majority of the participants' (86 percent) responses fell into the category of actions and skills of the therapist. When asked what they liked the least about the therapist, the majority of the participants' (64 percent) responses fell into the category of therapist characteristics. / Master of Science