Regeneration and transformation protocols for 'Comet' red raspberry were optimized with the purpose of making the Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer system efficient for this crop. Adventitious shoot regeneration from leaf discs was improved using explants 10 mm in diameter and transferring to fresh medium at the fourth week of incubation. Additions of liquid medium to solid medium during incubation decreased regeneration and attempts to release the suppressive influence of larger shoots on initials (apical dominance) did not succeed. The presence of claforan did not affect shoot regeneration, but inoculations with Agrobacterium and the presence of kanamycin decreased regeneration moderately or considerably, respectively. The threshold for kanamycin concentration for screening for kanamycin resistant transformed raspberry tissue was 30 to 40 mg l$ sp{-1}.$ The best co-incubation interval between wild-type Agrobacterium and 'Comet' leaf discs ranged from 2 days for highly virulent strains to 3 or more days for moderate to low virulent strains. Among several wild-type strains, C58 was chosen as the most appropriate partially because a disarmed form was commercially available for use as a non-oncogenic vector for transformation of red raspberry. / The binary plasmid pBI121 containing the marker genes NPTII and GUS encoding kanamycin resistance and $ beta$-glucuronidase activity, respectively, was successfully introduced into the Agrobacterium strain LBA4404, which is a disarmed C58 derivative. Transformation of 'Comet' red raspberry was apparently achieved by inoculating leaf disc explants with LBA4404 containing pBI121. The probable integration and expression of the foreign genes into the plant cells were confirmed by screening for kanamycin resistance, GUS assays and Southern blot analyses. This transformation system appears to be effective and may be useful in further studies on red raspberry for both introduction of genes for desirable agronomic traits and basic studies of gene expression.

Land reform is closely related to agricultural development and the whole development process. This thesis examines the impacts of land reform on asset distribution, agricultural productivity, and the process of structural transformation. By investigating land reforms in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea after World War II, I find that land reform has positive and long-run influences on the structural transformation. Through redistributing farmland from large landholders to small farmers, land reform is viewed as an effective instrument for the achievement of low levels of asset inequality. Land reform also provides small owner-cultivators incentives to work harder and invest more in their own farmlands, leading to an increase in agricultural productivity. The rapid growth in agricultural productivity stimulates the reallocation of labor from agricultural to non-agricultural occupations, which is the key part of structural transformation.

No description available.

The Semantic Web is the future of the Internet. It is the extension to the Internet in which information will be given well-defined meaning, enabling not only humans but also machines to find, share and combine information more easily. In the Semantic Web documents are not merely pages containing a set of words that form their content. They also encode the meaning and structure of those words. This enables various information retrieval techniques to be performed on the documents in addition to the ones restricted to keywords. The goal of this research is to explore a method for querying the Semantic Web using relational database theory and source transformation techniques. We take as input, documents annotated with XML mark-up and the information tags that we are interested in. We then extract and populate a relational view on the annotated XML documents using these tags and the implicit relations in the XML documents. We evaluate the feasibility of our system by testing on a variety of input and we also explore the kinds of queries that can be made on the extracted relational view. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2007-09-27 10:56:13.513

AJAX is a web application programming technique that allows portions of a web page to be loaded dynamically, separately from other parts of the web page. This gives the user a much smoother experience when viewing the web page. This technique also conserves bandwidth by transmitting only new data relevant to the user, keeping all other content on the web page unchanged. The migration from traditional round-trip web application to AJAX-based web application can be difficult to implement due to the many details required by AJAX. In this thesis, an approach is presented to automate the process of AJAX conversion using source transformation and backward slicing techniques. The result is an AJAX-based web page that will enhance the user experience and also conserve bandwidth. / Thesis (Master, Electrical & Computer Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2008-06-13 09:43:55.515

Transformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) steels have both high strength and high ductility. Retained austenite in the microstructure, upon straining, transforms to martensite and this absorbs energy and improves the work hardening of the steel, giving improved elongation. The transformation can be either stress-assisted or strain-induced and the initiation and the mechanism depend on the composition of, the size and shape of, and the phases surrounding, the austenite grains. It is important to understand the relationship between these variables and the properties of the TRIP steel. The aim of this work was to determine how the microstructure of the TRIP steel affects the transformation. Four experimental microstructures were developed, containing austenite grains with different sizes, shapes, and surrounding phases. The Fine microstructure had thin elongated austenite laths between fine bainitic ferrite laths, the Coarse microstructure had elongated austenite grains between coarser bainitic ferrite laths, the Equiaxed microstructure had equiaxed austenite grains in a matrix of equiaxed ferrite and the Acicular microstructure had elongated austenite grains surrounded by recovered ferrite laths. Tensile tests were performed and detailed characterization, using neutron diffraction, was done of samples with the four microstructures. The variation in the amount of austenite during deformation was measured. The tensile tests revealed that the microstructures had different mechanical properties and different transformation behaviours. Fine had the lowest elongation and the highest strength. Acicular and Equiaxed had good elongation but lower strength. Coarse had intermediate strength and Equiaxed had sustained work hardening. The transformation in Fine and Coarse was minimal. Coarse had some slow, steady transformation, but Fine may have had none. The transformation in Equiaxed was larger. It started quickly and then slowed at higher strains. The austenite in Acicular transformed steadily. The predominant mechanism of transformation was stress-assisted transformation, with strain-induced transformation occurring only in Equiaxed. The results of this work showed that the influence of the surrounding phases on the stability of the austenite is significant. The differences in the transformation behaviour of the four microstructures seemed to be due more to the surrounding phases than the grain size or the composition, although both these factors also played a role. / Thesis (Ph.D, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2007-12-14 13:35:07.248

Zr-2.5Nb is used as the pressure tube material for 2nd and 3rd generation CANDU reactors. The physical properties of pressure tubes in service, including strength, dimensional stability, and delayed hydride cracking resistance, are largely dependent upon the crystallographic texture of the hcp α-phase, whose texture is predominantly developed during the extrusion stage of manufacturing. During extrusion and subsequent cooling, the formation of α may occur by transformation of the bcc β-phase to α according to the Burgers relationship and influenced by variant selection – that is, a preference for one or more of the twelve possible orientations of the hcp lattice relative to the bcc lattice. Variant selection has been observed in other Zr alloys, including the heat-treated zone in pressure tube welds and the bulk texture of heat-treated pressure tubes. Further, it has been proposed as a possible explanation for texture characteristics in pressure tubes that are not explained by the deformation mechanics of extrusion. However, the criteria for variant selection are unclear. In this work, an understanding of the criteria for variant selection is developed through observations of the differing mechanisms at play during both directions of transformation, from α-β and β-α. Transformation via the Burgers relationship was confirmed; the existence of variant selection is also established. In thermal cycles to the β-regime, this selection manifests as the selection of a new (0002) variant, as driven by anisotropic thermal stresses generated during heating. Upon cooling, the high-temperature β texture is inherited by the α grains via the Burgers relationship; the magnitude of the texture maxima is driven by elastic transformation strains. Further thermal cycles to the β regime demonstrate texture memory, with some development of cubic symmetry due to grain growth during the hold in the β-phase. No texture changes are observed if samples are not heated fully into the beta regime. Finally, a study of the biasing effects of both residual and external stresses is discussed. While the external stress did not appear to be capable of biasing variant selection during either heating or cooling, some texture changes were observed, likely due to deformation at high temperature. / Thesis (Master, Mechanical and Materials Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2010-09-23 20:44:24.784

The ability to safely react to dangerous situations, or exploit opportunities within a dynamically changing world is fundamental for our survival. In order to respond to such changes in the environment, sensory information must first be received and processed by the nervous system before an appropriate motor response can be planned and executed. However, relatively little is known about how the central nervous system computes such sensory to motor transformations that are so critical for guiding efficient behavior. This thesis explores some of the neural mechanisms that underlie the visuomotor transformations that guide eye movements. Specifically, this thesis studied saccades (rapid eye movements critical for visual orienting in primates) and examined the relationships between visual and motor signals in the primate Superior Colliculus (SC, a midbrain structure located at the nexus between visual input and motor output that is critical for visual orienting). I recorded extracellular action potentials (spikes) from single neurons related to: 1) the appearance of visual saccade targets; 2) saccade planning and preparation; and 3) the execution of precise saccades that orient to visual targets. In this thesis I present four studies that examine the relationships between visual and motor related responses in the SC during visually guided saccades. In chapter 2 I examined the alignment between visual and motor response fields and concluded that they were well aligned. In chapters 3 and 4 I explored how visual responses were modulated by stimulus intensity and how this modulation influenced saccade behavior. I concluded that luminance modulated multiple properties of the visual response including the timing and maximum discharge rate and these changes were highly correlated to changes in saccade latency and metrics. In the fifth chapter I applied some of the knowledge gained from the previous chapters to develop a neural network model of the SC that was capable of simulating saccadic sensory to motor transformations and predict saccadic reaction time. I concluded that saccade latency was strongly dependant on the spatial interactions of visual and saccade related signals in the SC. Together, these findings provide novel insight into the neural mechanisms underlying saccadic sensorimotor transformations. / Thesis (Ph.D, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-03-03 08:36:14.559

The ability to process and respond to environmental cues requires the transformation of a sensory stimulus into an appropriate motor response, a process known as a sensorimotor transformation. The anti-saccade task can be used to investigate the ability of a subject to suppress a reflexive saccade towards a visual stimulus (pro-saccade) and generate a voluntary saccade 180° away from it. Additional steps are involved in the anti-saccade sensorimotor transformation that do not occur in the pro-saccade, which may produce performance differences between pro- and anti-saccade metrics. We were interested in exploring these differences to gain insight on the mechanism of the sensorimotor transformation of the anti-saccade and to uncover any directional biases in saccadic performance. Two experiments were performed, one in which stimuli were presented at 20 angular positions with a constant eccentricity of 12°, and another using 18 possible eccentricities along the horizontal. Pro-saccades had faster SRTs and velocities, larger amplitudes, higher accuracy and less variation in their trajectories than anti-saccades. Pro- and anti-saccade performance was shown to exhibit a similar dependence on both saccade goal direction and eccentricity. Differences manifested as a generalized reduction in anti-saccade performance that can be described as a scalar multiple of pro-saccade performance at all locations. Possible causes of this reduced performance were speculated to be i) the involvement of higher cortical structures, ii) errors in the internal representation of the stimulus, iii) sensorimotor coordinate transformation inaccuracy, and iv) online updating of the motor plan and the speed accuracy trade off inherent to saccades. The results of this study are comparable to previous monkey and human studies however certain differences were found that require further investigation. Further investigation is also required to determine the validity of the possible causes of performance reduction in the anti-saccade task and their specific contributions. / Thesis (Master, Neuroscience Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-09-08 16:31:18.398

Schwanniomyces occidentalis (Debaryomyces occidentalis ) is able to grow rapidly with high cell mass on cheap starch as a carbon source, produce strong amylolytic enzymes extracellularly and secrete large proteins without hyper-glycosylation and measurable extracellular proteases. Schw. occidentalis thus has a high potential as, a useful alternative to Saccharomyces cerevisiae in the production of heterologous proteins. However, the molecular study of Schw. occidentalis has been very limited due to the insufficient transformation system and lack of gene expression information. / A new transformation system of Schw. occidentalis has been developed. This system was based on vector YEp13 ( LEU2) and a stable leu auxotrophic mutant, Schw. occidentalis DW88, obtained by treating the yeast with 1-methyl-3-nitro-1-nitrosoguanidine. The transformation efficiency of YEp13 by spheroplast-mediating method was 103 transformants/mug DNA. The 2-mum replicon is proposed to be responsible for YEp13 replication in Schw. occidentalis. The YEp13 stability in Schw. occidentalis was low, but it kept its structure in the yeast, suggesting that Schw. occidentalis DW88 does not modify foreign DNA. / After analysis of 14 cloned Schw. occidentalis genes and comparison of associated genes from both Schw. occidentalis and S. cerevisiae, 25 codons were arbitrarily chosen as putative preferred codons for Schw. occidentalis. They are similar to those of S. cerevisiae, except for TTA for leucine, and AAA for lysine. Codon Bias Index (CBI), a criterion to evaluate gene expression, is calculated from preferred codons. A computer program (PCBI) which reads a gene containing introns was developed to quickly calculate CBI. / Schw. occidentalis DWSS should be a good host to produce and secrete heterologous proteins and the putative preferred codons and program PCBI can facilitate molecular study of Schw. occidentalis. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)