The development of new and better varieties of plants through plant breeding is essential to meet certain needs of a changing world. Genetics and a knowledge of its principles are the basis for such improvement. Barley has been used rather extensively in linkage relations studies. Its desirable characteristics are: (1) interspecific fertility and relative ease of hybridization, (2) numerous characters that are easily differentiated, (3) its commercial importance as a crop and (4) there are seven chromosome pairs in each of the four cultivated species.

MPhilPH / Female tubal sterilisation, often referred to as "tubal ligation" but more often performed these days using laparoscopically-applied metal clips, remains a popular form of contraception in women who have completed their families. A review of the literature on the incidence of failure of tubal sterilisation found many reports of case-series and small clinic-based studies, but only a few larger studies with good epidemiological designs, most recently the US CREST study conducted during the 1980s and early 1990s. The CREST study reported a conditional (life-table) cumulative incidence of failure of 0.55, 0.84, 1.18 and 1.85 per 100 women at 1, 2, 4 and 10 years of follow-up respectively. The study described here estimated a lower bound for the incidence of tubal sterilisation failure in NSW by probabilistically linking routinely-collected hospital admission records for women undergoing sterilisation surgery to hospital admission records for the same women which were indicative of subsequent conception or which represented censoring events such as hysterectomy or death in hospital. Data for the period July 1992 to June 2000 were used. Kaplan-Meier and proportional-hazards survival analyses were performed on the resulting linked data set. The conditional cumulative incidence per 100 women at 1, 2 4 and 8 years of follow-up was estimated to be 0.74 (95% CI 0.68-0.81), 1.05 (0.97-1.13), 1.33 (1.23-1.42) and 1.51 (1.39-1.62) respectively. Forty percent of failures ended in abortion and 14% presented as ectopic pregnancies. Age, private health insurance status and sterilisation in a smaller hospital were all found to be associated with lower rates of failure. Strong evidence of time-limited excess numbers of failures in women undergoing surgery in particular hospitals was also found. The study demonstrates the feasibility of using linked, routinely-collected health data to evaluate relatively rare, long-term outcomes such as sterilisation failure on a population-wide basis.

"September 2002" / Bibliography: leaves 142-159. / viii, 159, [17] leaves : ill. (some col.), plates, photograph ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Investigates self- and cross-compatibility using 5 common commercial cultivars of olive. Frantoio is found to b a good general polliniser for the other cultivars. The sex ratio of flowers, pollen viability, and male sterility were also examined Another objective was the construction of a molecular linkage map for olives, using a cross between Frantoio and Kalamata and microsatellite markers using the pseudo-testcross strategy. Approximately 45% of the genome was mapped. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Horticulture, Viticulture and Oenology, 2002

<p>A major challenge in human genetics is to understand the genetic variation underlying common diseases. In this thesis, I focus on forces creating differences between individuals and genomic regions, methods for characterizing genomic variation, and the association between genomic and phenotypic variation. Genetic markers are widely used to locate genes associated with different phenotypes. In my first paper, I describe novel algorithms for automatic genotype determination of microsatellite markers, a procedure which is currently both time-consuming and error prone. </p><p>The co-segregation of genetic markers in a population leads to non-random association of alleles at different loci - linkage disequilibrium (LD). LD varies throughout the genome and differs between populations due to factors such as their demographic history. In my second paper, I discuss the increased power, for mapping of human traits, that results from studying a population with appreciable levels of LD such as is found in the Swedish Sami population. </p><p>Lately, large-scale analyses of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have become available and efforts have been made to identify a set of SNPs, which captures most of the genome variation in a population (tagSNPs). In my third paper, I describe the limitations of this approach when applied to data from an independent population sample of randomly ascertained SNPs. The transferability of tagSNPs between populations is poor, presumably due to variation in allele frequencies and the bias towards common SNPs used in most studies. </p><p>The level of genomic variation is influenced by population structure, recombination and mutation rate, as well as natural selection. During the exodus from Africa, humans have adapted to new environmental conditions. In my fourth paper, I describe a new method for identifying genomic regions carrying signatures of recent positive selection and apply this to an available dataset of millions of SNPs.</p>

The domestic dog, Canis lupus familiaris, has emerged as a model system for the study of human hereditary diseases. Of the approximately 450 hereditary diseases described in the dog, half have clinical presentations that are quite similar to specific human diseases. Understanding the genetic bases of canine hereditary diseases will not only complement comparative genetics studies but also facilitate selective breeding practices to reduce incidences in the dog. Whole genome screens have great potential to identify the marker(s) that segregate with canine hereditary diseases for which no reasonable candidate genes exist. The Minimal Screening Set-1 (MSS-1) was the first set of microsatellite markers described for linkage analysis in the dog and was, until recently, the best tool for genome screens. The MSS-2 is the most recently described screening set and offers increased density and more polymorphic markers. The first objective of this work was to develop tools to streamline genomic analyses in the study of canine hereditary diseases. This was achieved through the development of 1) multiplexing strategies for the MSS-1, 2) a multiplex of microsatellite markers for use in canine forensics and parentage assays and 3) chromosome-specific multiplex panels for the MSS-2. Multiplexing is the simultaneous amplification and analysis of markers and significantly reduces the expense and time required to collect genotype information. Pancreatic acinar atrophy (PAA) is a disease characterized by the degeneration of acinar cells of the exocrine pancreas and is the most important cause of exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI) in the German Shepherd Dog (GSD). Although the prognosis for dogs having EPI is typically good with treatment, many dogs are euthanized because the owners are unable to afford the expensive enzyme supplements. The second objective of this work was to determine the mode of transmission of EPI in the GSD and conduct a whole genome screen for linkage. Two extended families of GSDs having PAA were assembled and used to determine the pattern of transmission. The results of this indicate that PAA is an autosomal recessive disease. The multiplexed MSS-1 was used to conduct an initial whole genome screen, although no markers were suggestive of linkage.

No description available.

The thesis focuses on the development of an experimental set up for a recently developed failure recovery technique of spatial robot manipulators. Assuming a general configuration of the spatial robot arm, a task is specified. This task contains constraints on position, velocity and acceleration to be satisfied. These constraints are derived from contact and curvature specifications. The technique synthesizes the serial chain and tests if the task can be satisfied in case of a joint failure. An experimental set up was developed in order to validate the failure recovery technique. It includes a robot arm mounted on a movable platform. The arm and platform are controlled by NI sbRIO board and are programmed in LabVIEW. The experimental results of the failure recovery technique were obtained for the case of Elbow failure in robot manipulators. The thesis considers two applications of the synthesis of spherical five –degree-of-freedom serial chains: Power assist for human therapeutic movement and Synthesis of Parallel Mechanical Linkages. A spherical TS chain has been synthesized for these two applications using the Mathematica software.

A major challenge in human genetics is to understand the genetic variation underlying common diseases. In this thesis, I focus on forces creating differences between individuals and genomic regions, methods for characterizing genomic variation, and the association between genomic and phenotypic variation. Genetic markers are widely used to locate genes associated with different phenotypes. In my first paper, I describe novel algorithms for automatic genotype determination of microsatellite markers, a procedure which is currently both time-consuming and error prone. The co-segregation of genetic markers in a population leads to non-random association of alleles at different loci - linkage disequilibrium (LD). LD varies throughout the genome and differs between populations due to factors such as their demographic history. In my second paper, I discuss the increased power, for mapping of human traits, that results from studying a population with appreciable levels of LD such as is found in the Swedish Sami population. Lately, large-scale analyses of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have become available and efforts have been made to identify a set of SNPs, which captures most of the genome variation in a population (tagSNPs). In my third paper, I describe the limitations of this approach when applied to data from an independent population sample of randomly ascertained SNPs. The transferability of tagSNPs between populations is poor, presumably due to variation in allele frequencies and the bias towards common SNPs used in most studies. The level of genomic variation is influenced by population structure, recombination and mutation rate, as well as natural selection. During the exodus from Africa, humans have adapted to new environmental conditions. In my fourth paper, I describe a new method for identifying genomic regions carrying signatures of recent positive selection and apply this to an available dataset of millions of SNPs.

<p>Fuchs endothelial corneal dystrophy (FECD) is a complex, late-onset disorder that is a frequent indication for corneal transplantation and affects women more frequently than men. Although linkage and association studies in patients of European and Asian ancestry have started to explain the genetic basis of this disorder, the mechanism by which FECD develops is still unclear. Three projects were undertaken to help elucidate the genetic basis of FECD. The first project examined a large, multigenerational family that exhibited strong familial clustering of FECD and identified evidence of linkage to chromosome 18. This locus that has also been implicated through work on large and small FECD families as well as unrelated patients. The second project examined African-Americans with FECD and is the first work to examine this population of patients with respect to the FECD phenotype. Novel variants in three FECD candidate genes, <italic>COL8A2</italic>, <italic>SLC4A11</italic>, and <italic>ZEB1</italic> were identified at approximately the same rate as observed in patients of other ancestries, reinforcing the notion that these genes only contribute to a small fraction of FECD genetic susceptibility. Finally, the influence of environmental factors on FECD susceptibility was examined through the use of a risk factor questionnaire given to cases and controls at the time of study enrollment. Several factors, including gender, age, and cataracts, were found to significantly affect FECD risk. Gender and the number of cataract surgeries were found to significantly interact with a genetic variant, rs613872 in the <italic>TCF4</italic> locus on chromosome 18 that has been consistently and reproducibly associated with FECD, to influence FECD susceptibility. Together, these findings indicate that the genetic basis of FECD is complex, and recent advances in the field show promise in accelerating the pace of discovery that will hopefully develop better FECD treatments in the near future.</p> / Dissertation

¡@¡@By utilizing longitudinal data over 10 years, this research tries to examine the relationships between distinctive political linkages by family members and the diversification implications in family business group in Taiwan. The past researches have highlighted that the political linkages established by family members have significant influence on the family business group¡¦s diversification. However, there is little researches examine who¡¦s political linkage is critical in determining the diversification decision in family business group. From social capital viewpoint, this research tries to investigate the diversification implications of political linkages established by three family roles, i.e., the founder, the sons, and the marriage roles, in family business groups. The results reveal that the founder¡¦s informal political linkages have significantly positive influence on the diversification. Furthermore, the political linkages established by marriage roles do not reveal significant influence on the group¡¦s diversification. However, the son¡¦s political linkages have distinctive influences on the diversification decision. In that, the son¡¦s formal political linkages have significantly negative influence on diversification, but the son¡¦s informal political linkages have significantly positive influence on diversification. The results indicate that the differential roles in family business groups have distinctive influence on the strategy decisions. The results provide insightful theoretical and practical implications in diversification issue and political linkages issues in largely family business groups.