Abscisic acid (ABA) induces RD22, responsive to dehydration stress gene. Salicylic acid (SA) has been the focus of research due to its role against pathogens and abiotic stress. Interaction between ABA and SA signaling pathways is still poorly understood. SA-Binding Protein 2 (SABP2) converts methyl salicylate to SA. An attempt was made to identify proteins that interact with SABP2 using a yeast 2-hybrid screening. Several interactors were identified. One of them, SA-Binding Protein 2 Interacting Protein-355 (SBIP-355), showed high homology to RD22. Bioinformatic approaches showed that SBIP-355 contains a BURP domain. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that SBIP-355 clustered into the clade of RD22-like proteins. Thus, SBIP-355 gene might be a stress-inducible gene and encodes a dehydration-responsive protein, which is important for the stress tolerance of tobacco. The complementary DNA (cDNA) of tobacco SBIP-355 was cloned into pDEST-17 vector and then expressed in E. coli to detect the expression of SBIP-355 protein.

Plant secondary metabolites are essential for normal growth and development in plants ultimately affecting crop yield. They play roles ranging from appearance of the plants to defending against pathogen attack and herbivory. They have been used by humans for medicinal and recreational purposes amongst others. Glycosyltransferases catalyze the transfer of sugars from donor substrates to acceptors. Glucosyltransferases are a specific type of glycosyltransferases known to transfer glucose molecules from a glucose donor to a glucose acceptor (aglycone) producing the corresponding glucose secondary metabolite or glycone, in this case glucosides. It was hypothesized that SBIP68, a tobacco putative glucosyltransferase-like protein glucosylated salicylic acid. Salicylic acid is an essential plant defense secondary metabolite. SBIP68 was cloned and heterologously expressed in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic systems. Results from activity screening suggest that SBIP68 is a UDP-glucose flavonoid glucosyltransferase with broad substrate specificity. Further studies are required to fully characterize SBIP68.

Estágio realizado na Adira e orientado pelo Eng.ª Rita Dias / Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Industrial e Gestão. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2009

Thesis (M.A. (African Languages)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / The purpose of this study was to investigate the legislative and constitutional imperatives on the designation of language naming with special reference to Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa. The study was based upon the qualitative methodology and the data was analysed through qualitative and quantitative in the form of SPSS to explain numeric information. Data was collected using structured and semi-structured questionnaire and interview. Three groups of respondents took part in this study namely members of the community, administrators and professionals, and language practitioners. The findings of the study revealed that many people prefer the name Sepedi to be used to denote the language under research. It was again revealed that when the language was named proper procedure was not followed. Based on the information and findings of this research, it is recommended that the government make an effort to make sure that the language is re-standardised and the language correctly designated.

Morten Lauridsen is one of the most prolific composers of choral music in the 20th and 21st centuries. His characteristic tone is both readily identifiable and timeless. Works such as Lux Aeterna, Les Chansons des Roses, “Sure on this Shining Night” (from Nocturnes) , and “O magnum mysterium” have solidified his place as one of the most important compositional voices in modern choral music. Lauridsen’s most often-performed choral works have been individual movements excerpted from his larger choral works, due to their accessibility for advanced high school and collegiate choirs. For example, the popular “Dirait-on” comes from the cycle Les Chansons des Roses; “O nata lux” from Lux Aeterna; and “Sure on this Shining Night” from Nocturnes. Although “Sure on this Shining Night” is performed across the United States on a variety of concert programs from high school to professional choirs, it is rare to encounter a performance of the choral cycle Nocturnes in its entirety. Morten Lauridsen composed Nocturnes as the Raymond W. Brock Commissioned Work for the 2005 American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) National Convention in Los Angeles. At the time of its composition, Nocturnes was a choral cycle consisting of three movements: “Sa Nuit d’Été,” “Soneto de la Noche,” and “Sure on this Shining Night.” Later, in 2008, he added a fourth piece, “Epilogue: Voici le Soir,” which would round out the cycle. Interesting elements of both unity and contrast weave through this choral cycle, potentially leaving the listener and performer to wonder what inspired Lauridsen to select the variety of languages, poetry, and instrumentation. Three different languages and poets are utilized throughout the cycle: “Sa nuit d’Été” in French, set to a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke, “Soneto de la Noche” in Spanish, set to a poem by Pablo Neruda, “Sure on this Shining Night” in English, set to a poem by James Agee, and “Epilogue: Voici le Soir returning to French and the poetry of Rilke. Another element of contrast exists in the instrumentation, with three out of the four pieces utilizing the piano. “Soneto de la Noche,” however, is a cappella with much more pervasive vocal divisi than the other pieces, making it the most technically difficult piece in the cycle. The variety of languages and difference in level of difficulty is one reason that this song cycle is not widely performed in its entirety. This monograph draws on background information regarding other similar works by Lauridsen, information regarding the poetry of these works, and musical analysis of these works, in addition to an interview with Lauridsen himself.

Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap kring erfarenheter av specialpedagogens yrkesroll på gymnasiet. Den syftar till att bidra med exempel på specialpedagogers arbetsinsatser på olika nivåer samt att identifierar hinder och framgångsfaktorer i relation till den specialpedagogiska yrkesrollen. Studien är av kvalitativ art och tar sin utgångspunkt i semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex lärare, tre specialpedagoger och tre rektorer fördelade på tre olika gymnasieskolor. Studiens teoretiska ansats är systemteori. Vi har även tagit hjälp av salutogent och patogent perspektiv. Dessa ansatser hjälpte oss i analysen av vårt resultat. I vår studie förefaller det sig som att specialpedagogerna i denna kontext gör anspråk på ett brett område av arbetsuppgifter av både förebyggande, främjande och åtgärdande karaktär. Insatser riktas både mot enskilda elever och klasser, enskilda lärare och arbetsgrupper samt övergripande för skolan. Tillgänglighet, kommunikation, kompetens och mandat är fyra övergripande katego-rier som kan verka som antingen framgångsfaktorer eller hinder i relation till specialpedagogens yrkesroll.

A study of the behavioural ecology of the woylie (Bettongia penicillata) was conducted between November 1986 and September 1987 on a population that had been introduced to Island A, Venus Bay in South Australia. The primary aim of the research was to establish the reasons for the success of this population of approximately 20 individuals which survives in an environment which is considerably different from the pockets of forest and woodland habitats comprising the present range of this species in Western Australia. This knowledge will assist wildlife authorities to identify suitable reintroduction sites within the former mainland range of B. penicillata. Scat analysis revealed that woylies on Island A consumed a catholic diet of dicotyledon leaf material, seasonal fruits and berries, and invertebrates. Endomycorrhizal fungal spores were common in scats during spring and are possibly derived from the gut of Scarab beetle larvae that were present in the scats at this time. Fungi are an insignificant dietary component of woylies at Venus Bay. The home ranges of woylies on Island A overlapped considerably and were significantly smaller than the "feeding" areas recorded for Western Australian conspecifics. Separate "feeding" and "nest" areas could not be identified on Island A as refuges were dispersed throughout the home range and were at a density of approximately three times that reported for Western Australian woylies. The refuge sites used by woylies on Island A were relatively simple constructions and contrasted with the more complex double-layered structures described for mainland woylies. Refuge sites on Island A were generally located beneath dense bushes. They provided little protection from prevailing temperature and relative humidity but did provide cover and ameliorate the effects of insolation. Refuges were exclusive to individuals. Males maintained a greater degree of spatial separation from one another during refuge occupation than they did from females, or females from each other. No significant difference between male and female body masses was detected, while the mean body mass recorded in December was significantly higher than at other times. The woylies at Venus Bay had significantly lower masses than those reported for a population of woylies at Tuttanning in Western Australia. The limited genetic base of the founding population and competition for food among this high density population are the most likely reasons for the lower masses of woylies on Island A. This study demonstrates that woylies can be successfully introduced into a wild, modified environment if their basic habitat requirements of suitable cover and diet are met. A broad diet, the abundance of suitable food species and adequate refuge sites within a small area, together with the absence of predators and fire, have all contributed to the success of the woylie population introduced to Island A. Active management is required to monitor and manipulate such small populations to ensure that genetic viability is maintained and the long term survival of the species is secured. Management: Recommendations 1. Monitor the population dynamics and genetic profiles of wild woylie populations in Western Australia. 2. Monitor the genetic profiles of woylies on Island A and other introduced populations. 3. Identify and acquire habitats similar to, and within, those of B. penicillata's former range, remove stock and exotic herbivores, implement and maintain predator control measures, and foster the growth of food species suitable for woylies. 4. Conduct research at proposed introduction sites to establish the fire regimes that would maintain adequate food and cover for woylies. 5. Introduce fresh genetic stock from wild Western Australian populations into the existing small populations in South Australia and simultaneously cull adults from the receiving population. 6. Maintain management practices to protect relic populations in Western Australia and newly established populations at introduction sites.

By using an interview survey of 30 randomly selected residents of Port Lincoln and the same number of persons from a country section of the Eyre Peninsula Community College region, an attempt has been made to ascertain profiles of participants and non-participants in adult education along with reasons for non-participation. It was assumed that lack of awareness of educational provision would be a major barrier to access and so a significant part of the study was addressed to this aspect. The town of Port Lincoln was considered separately from the rest of the Region because of the assumption that access and awareness were likely to be at a lower level amongst those persons in the more remote areas of the region. Assumptions that underpinned the proposal were: that Technical and Further Education was important, that community awareness of T.A.F.E. was therefore desirable and that barriers existed that precluded a significant section of the community participating in these activities.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a series of perceptual training and drawing lessons on the drawing behaviour of children of eight years of age, in year three classes in some South Australian middle income schools. A literature search revealed that the drawing behaviour of children is responsive to perceptual training and drawing classes, and furthermore that an improvement in drawing ability has resulted from such programmes. Children of eight years of age were selected for two reasons. Their drawing development has generally become schematic, which means that a certain degree of stereotyping is used in their drawing. And in addition the perceptual development of eight year olds is considered by many perceptual theorists to be sufficiently advanced for a series of training lessons. Also as a result of perceptual development children of eight years of age are able to participate in a drawing test which involves the drawing of objects or models based on the observation of such objects or models. A pretest-posttest with control group design was used in this study. The experimental and control groups were selected from a sufficiently large sample of schools. The groups selected were randomly assigned to be experimental or control groups in the study. A Salome modified drawing test was administered to each experimental and control group in the study. This drawing test which consisted in the subjects being required to draw three objects, was administered as a pretest and a posttest to all groups by the researcher. The experimental groups received a treatment which consisted of six weekly sessions involving perceptual training and drawing exercises. The control group continued with their normal art lessons with their class teacher. The test drawings were scored by three judges on a Salome modified rating scale. A scoring procedure was devised so that the judges were unaware whether the drawings to be scored were pretest, or posttest, control group or experimental group. The following statistical tests were conducted on the drawing scores using an SPSS computer programme: a t-test for age a t-test to determine whether there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and the control groups. an analysis of variance to determine whether there was a significant difference between the gain scores of the experimental and control groups. - and Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficients for rater inter-reliability. All statistical tests demonstrated that the experimental groups gained significantly higher posttest drawing scores. All statistical tests produced results as the 0.05 level of significance. The implications for curriculum design, and the practice of teaching drawing in primary schools, are that interventionist drawing programmes of the kind used in this study do aid drawing development. Drawing is a basic skill in art, thus a perceptual training and drawing programme which aids drawing development will also improve other modes of artistic expression.

This work is a linguistically based historical ethnography of the mammal species of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, from pre-European times to the present day. The research was motivated by linguistic evidence in the Adnyamathanha people's language, Yura Ngawarla, for the recent existence of a number of mammals in the Flinders Ranges region. The work aims firstly to identify each species represented by those language terms and to discover the identity of other species also present in the past 200 years. Secondly, it aims to present an exhaustive ethnography of mammals for that region. This work is essentially cross-disciplinary, with research extending into the often overlapping fields of linguistics, anthropology, archaeology, applied science, historical zoology and history. Comparative linguistics, oral tradition, historical records, scientific data and sub-fossil material are used to identify the species present at European occupation and their role in traditional Aboriginal life, and in passing, to establish the former existence and distribution of those species throughout the region of the two South Australian gulfs. An inventory of extant and extinct Flinders Ranges species is established. Linguistic, ethnographic, zoological and historical data are used to estimate when species extinction occurred, and what may (or may not) have been the main factors involved. A significant outcome of this work is the documentation of a part of Aboriginal knowledge which itself was on the verge of extinction, and the affirmation of well attested Aboriginal oral tradition as an authentic 'authoritative source'. Conclusion: Prior to European occupation the Flinders Ranges had a rich mammalian fauna comprising around 60 native species. These played a significant part in Aboriginal people's diet, manufacturing industry and cultural and spiritual life. By the end of the first half century of European occupation or soon after around two thirds of the terrestrial species had vanished. The effect of these events on Aboriginal people's ability to survive in their own territory was devastating and irreversible.