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Unhulled white sweet clover seeds return larger yields of bay and greater profits than do similar scarified seeds. Seedlings resulting from unhulled seeds are more resistant to low temperatures than seedlings coming from scarified seeds. Sweet clover seedlings are most resistant to cold when in very early stages of development. They become more susceptible with advance in age. High soil moisture exerts a protective influence on seedlings which are in a susceptible stage of growth at the time of exposure to low temperatures. There is some evidence, although not conclusive, that seedlings coming from scarified seeds are more active physiologically than those coming from unhulled seeds. / M.S.

An alternative method for extraction of therapeutically beneficial compounds such as sterols, fatty acids, and tocopherols from cranberry seeds with pure SF CO2 has been provided. The supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) operating conditions such as extraction temperature, pressure of CO2, extraction time, and CO2 flow rate were optimized to maximize the extraction yield. The amount and type of SF extractables (pure CO₂) have been compared with Soxhlet extractables (hexane) to evaluate the feasibility of SFE as an alternative extraction method. The extractables obtained via hexane and SF CO₂, which were derivatized and identified by gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), contained mostly methylated fatty acids. / Master of Science

The pattern and sequence of zein degradation in the endosperm of germinating maize seeds were investigated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting. The proteases involved in the degradation of various zein components (α, ß and γ) were extracted with three buffer systems and partially characterized with respect to their ability to degrade various zein components. They were also investigated in vivo by germinating the seeds in the presence of protease inhibitors used singly and in combination. Of the various zein components, γ-zein (27-kD) was the first to be degraded and its degradation was complete by the third day after germination (DAG). Beta-zeins (17- and 18-kD) began to be degraded on the second DAG, degradation being complete by the seventh day for the l7-kD polypeptide, and the fourth day for the 18-kD polypeptide. The degradation of 10-kD- zein began on the fourth DAG and was complete by the eighth day. The α-zein fraction (22-and 24-kD) was degraded beginning on the faith day and continued gradually until after the tenth day. From the results of these studies, the arrangement of various zein fractions within the protein bodies can be deduced and this was consistent with the immunocytochemical data published by others. Gamma-zein is situated in the peripheral region of the protein bodies and could be a structural component of the protein body membrane or it may be directly anchored in the membrane. Beta-zeins are internal to γ-zein with the l0-kD in the interface between the 17-kD and γ-zein. The 10- kD zein is located between the 17-kD and α-zein or interlacing with α-zein in the protein body core. Finally, a-zeins are in the protein body core. Based on these observations the proteolysis of the protein in protein bodies of maize would start from the periphery and proceed towards their core. The proteases involved in degradation of various zein components were synthesized de novo. The mRNAs pre-existing in dry seeds appeared to direct the synthesis of active proteases required for zein degradation at least during the initial stages of germination. Serine protease was responsible for the degradation of a- and ß-zeins while aspartic (acid) protease may play some role in ß-zein degradation. Serine and cysteine (thiol) proteases worked synergistically in γ-zein degradation. Enzymes extractable from the endosperm of germinating seeds with 0.2 M acetate buffer (pH 3.8) were able to degrade the α-, ß-, and γ-zeins in an in vito assay. / Ph. D.

Efforts to close the global financing gap for nature are visible through the increase in green bonds, impact investment funds and grants for nature-based solutions but have fallen short of the $200bn per year global target stipulated in the Global Biodiversity Framework. On the other hand, caution is needed when implementing finance for nature initiatives, as poorly designed solutions can exacerbate inequalities or even lead to further nature degradation. This exploratory study goes beyond what is conventionally seen as “finance for nature” and explores novel approaches and alternative ways to fund nature. Using a select number of these “seeds”, the study unpacks the theory of change underpinning the seeds and their conceptualisation of nature values as it relates to the Nature Futures Framework. The study showed that there is an overrepresentation of market-based mechanisms and that these are generally leaning towards the nature for society as a core value perspective. More experimentation is needed with regards to non-market-based mechanisms, different ownership and governance structures, and incorporating perspectives which see nature’s value for nature’s sake or as part of culture.

Thesis (MSc (Botany and Zoology))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / At present a proper systematic classification of the southern African members of Oxalis L. (Oxalidaceae) does not exist. The most recent and comprehensive revision of the genus based on macro-morphological characters is out-dated (published 60 years ago (Salter, 1944)). The external morphology of the flowers of the southern African Oxalis species is reasonably wellstudied, but little is known about the anatomy thereof. A pilot study of fruit and seed morphology and anatomy of nine selected southern African Oxalis species (Obone, 2003) already revealed some trends to demarcate two main groups. This confirmed the systematic value of some of the characters already proposed by Salter (1944). The aim of the present study was to assess the potential systematic value of fruit and seed morphology and anatomy of 32 Oxalis species. The selection was done such that the included species would represent the main sections proposed by Salter (1944), the pollen types proposed by Dreyer (1996) and the different clades revealed by the phylogenetic tree compiled by Oberlander et al. (2004). Although the species sampling was very low (20% of the southern African taxa), 35 potentially informative characters were identified in fruit and seed morphology and anatomy. These characters may be grouped into three character types, namely autapomorphic characters, randomly distributed characters and systematically informative characters. The first two character types were particularly useful in species-specific characterization. The third group of linked characters could be used to demarcate two major groups of species, those producing endospermous seeds and those producing exendospermous seeds. The three types of characters may prove to be taxonomically informative if more species-inclusive studies are performed. The cluster analysis strongly supported the demarcation of endospermous and exendospermous groups with 100% bootstrap support. Low bootstrap values were observed for subgroups within each of the major groups. This is probably due to low taxon sampling. Therefore clustering based on fruit and seed morphology should be considered with extreme caution within the two groups. Despite these limitations of sample size, fruit and seed morphological and anatomical characters have proven to be systematically informative at the infra-generic level.

This study created an ecological spatial model, using a geographic information system, to visualize the influence of hydrochory on restoration of the three dominant wetland communities of broadleaf marsh, wetland shrub, and wet prairie across the floodplain of the Kissimmee River. Primary parameters incorporated into the model included floodplain hydrology, seed characteristics of buoyancy and dispersal rates, and species flood tolerance. S²rensen's similarity index, comparing spatial agreement among model output and observed community data, resulted in values of BLM-BB = 0.10, BLM = 0.07, WS = 0.21, and WP = 0.36. The significant discrepancies between modeled and observed community spatial coverage indicated a need for incorporation of more stochastic variables of climatic disturbances, nutrient availability, and soil characteristics. More research on species flood tolerance across smaller spatial scales is also needed, and base data incorporated into the model should also be reliable and consistent if accuracy is to be achieved. / by Stevee Kennard. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica Host) infestations in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production regions of the central and western USA result in severe economic losses in the wheat market. Field and greenhouse studies were conducted to determine the vernalization requirements of winter wheat, spring wheat, jointed goatgrass, and wheat by jointed goatgrass reciprocal hybrid plants. In field studies, jointed goatgrass plants required more vernalization to produce spikelets and germinable seed than 'Madsen' winter wheat plants. In greenhouse studies, plants of jointed goatgrass populations collected from Oregon and Washington wheat fields required fewer vernalization days to reach the joint stage than Madsen plants. Detailed observations in the greenhouse revealed a longer period between jointing and anthesis for most jointed goatgrass populations that was overlooked in field studies. Vernalization for 6-wk represents the minimum treatment for synchronous reproductive development among jointed goatgrass populations, Madsen winter wheat, and Madsen by jointed goatgrass hybrids, yet the risk of gene transfer might be greater after 7-wk vernalization. In the jointed goatgrass populations tested, there was not selection for a vernalization insensitive growth habit. Because jointed goatgrass spikelets often contain two seed, germination was recorded for primary and secondary positioned seed. Germination of freshly harvested jointed goatgrass seed was promoted by 25/15 C day/night temperatures. However, light and 30/20 C incubation was necessary for maximum germination of non-dormant, primary positioned seed. Both primary and secondary positioned seed within jointed goatgrass spikelets were non-dormant after 16-wk after-ripening at 22 ± 2 C. Under optimum growing conditions, no planting depth selectively allowed wheat germination and emergence while preventing jointed goatgrass germination and emergence. Glume removal did not alleviate dormancy completely in jointed goatgrass seed. Research confirmed jointed goatgrass population polymorphism for vernalization requirements and seed dormancy. Jointed goatgrass reproductive variability might be part of a general purpose genotype strategy to germinate and colonize a wide range of environments. Wheat by jointed goatgrass hybrid plants should be removed from winter and spring wheat fields. Despite a short dormancy period, three or more years of rotation outside of winter annual crops may be necessary to reduce populations of jointed goatgrass. / Graduation date: 2006

Esta dissertação mapeia a rede de relações intertextuais em Half a Life (2001) e sua continuação Magic Seeds (2004), os romances mais recentes do Prêmio Nobel de Literatura de 2001, V. S. Naipaul, como contribuição para o estudo da obra do autor. A noção de intertextualidade permeia os estudos literários, e o termo tem sido largamente empregado desde que foi cunhado por Julia Kristeva nos anos sessenta. Desde então as mais variadas, e muitas vezes divergentes, teorias sobre intertextualidade compartilham a idéia de que um texto só adquire significado pleno na interação com outros textos. A abordagem metodológica proposta é baseada na teoria da transtextualidade de Gérard Genette. Esta escolha implica o estudo de intertextos, paratextos, metatextos, arquitextos e hipertextos que constituem a interface entre os dois romances e outros escritos. O nome do protagonista "William Somerset Chandran" constitui o fio que guia o estudo das várias relações transtextuais nos dois romances. A partir do prenome do protagonista – William – este estudo situa os romances no contexto da tradição do Bildungsroman, e argumenta que estes estabelecem uma paródia arquitextual do gênero na medida em que subvertem seu cerne, ou seja, a formação do caráter do protagonista. O nome do meio do protagonista – Somerset – remete à ficcionalização do escritor Somerset Maugham na narrativa, ao mesmo tempo em que esta desmistifica a ótica ocidental sobre o hinduísmo popularizada por Maugham em The Razor's Edge. O sobrenome do protagonista – Chandran – leva ao estudo do conjunto de referências à origem indiana de Naipaul e o papel desta na produção do autor. Este nome se reporta ao romance de Narayan The Bachelor of Arts, cujo protagonista também é nomeado Chandran. Narayan é um escritor de destaque na literatura anglo-indiana e referência recorrente na obra de Naipaul. Os temas de migração e choque cultural apresentados nos dois romances têm sido presença constante na obra de Naipaul. Esta pesquisa mapeia a relação de continuidade entre os dois romances em questão e o conjunto da obra de Naipaul, salientando o papel da ambientação geográfica da narrativa, marcada pela jornada do protagonista através de três continentes. A teoria da transtextualidade é uma ferramenta operacional para a pesquisa, a qual examina a densidade das referências geográficas, históricas e literárias em Half a Life e Magic Seeds, visando aportar elementos para o estudo da produção literária de Naipaul, na medida em que estes romances recentes condensam e revisitam a visão de mundo deste autor. / This thesis traces the network of intertextual relations in the two latest novels by the 2001 Nobel Prize winner V. S. Naipaul: Half a Life (2001) and its sequel Magic Seeds (2004) as a means of contribution to the study of the author's work. The notion of intertextuality is a pervasive one within literary studies, the word itself started to be widely used in the sixties, following the definition of Julia Kristeva. Nuanced and even conflicting as the varied theories of intertextuality may be, they all share the idea that a text is not isolated or self-sufficient, but acquires full meaning in the interplay with other texts. A methodological approach based on Gerard Genette's theory of transtextuality is proposed for the analysis. This choice implies the study of intertexts, paratexts, metatexts, architexts and hypertexts that constitute the interface between the two novels at hand and other texts. The protagonist's name "William Somerset Chandran" sets the thread of several transtextual instances pervading the two novels. Taking the cue of the protagonist's first name – William – this thesis places the novels within the context of the Bildungsroman tradition and argues that these novels establish an architextual parody of this genre, subverting its core meaning of character formation. The protagonist's middle name – Somerset – leads to the discussion of the way the writer Somerset Maugham is fictionalized in the narrative and how it undermines the metropolitan ethos towards Hinduism as exposed in Maugham's novel The Razor's Edge. The protagonist's last name – Chandran – spawns a set of references to Naipaul's Indian ancestry and the role it plays in his fictional and non-fictional production; this name alludes to Narayan's novel The Bachelor of Arts, whose main character is also called Chandran. Narayan is a leading figure in Anglo-Indian Literature and a recurrent reference in Naipaul's writings. The themes of displacement and culture clash tackled by these novels have haunted the author throughout his career. The research maps out the two novels' relationship with the realm of Naipaul's previous writings; as well as brings to the fore the role of setting in the narratives, marked by the protagonist's dislocations in three continents. The theory of transtextuality provides the operational tool for the research, which examines the density of geographical, historical and literary references in Half a Life and Magic Seeds with the purpose of shedding light into Naipaul's literary production, inasmuch as these two recent novels condense and revisit the author's worldview.

Esta dissertação mapeia a rede de relações intertextuais em Half a Life (2001) e sua continuação Magic Seeds (2004), os romances mais recentes do Prêmio Nobel de Literatura de 2001, V. S. Naipaul, como contribuição para o estudo da obra do autor. A noção de intertextualidade permeia os estudos literários, e o termo tem sido largamente empregado desde que foi cunhado por Julia Kristeva nos anos sessenta. Desde então as mais variadas, e muitas vezes divergentes, teorias sobre intertextualidade compartilham a idéia de que um texto só adquire significado pleno na interação com outros textos. A abordagem metodológica proposta é baseada na teoria da transtextualidade de Gérard Genette. Esta escolha implica o estudo de intertextos, paratextos, metatextos, arquitextos e hipertextos que constituem a interface entre os dois romances e outros escritos. O nome do protagonista "William Somerset Chandran" constitui o fio que guia o estudo das várias relações transtextuais nos dois romances. A partir do prenome do protagonista – William – este estudo situa os romances no contexto da tradição do Bildungsroman, e argumenta que estes estabelecem uma paródia arquitextual do gênero na medida em que subvertem seu cerne, ou seja, a formação do caráter do protagonista. O nome do meio do protagonista – Somerset – remete à ficcionalização do escritor Somerset Maugham na narrativa, ao mesmo tempo em que esta desmistifica a ótica ocidental sobre o hinduísmo popularizada por Maugham em The Razor's Edge. O sobrenome do protagonista – Chandran – leva ao estudo do conjunto de referências à origem indiana de Naipaul e o papel desta na produção do autor. Este nome se reporta ao romance de Narayan The Bachelor of Arts, cujo protagonista também é nomeado Chandran. Narayan é um escritor de destaque na literatura anglo-indiana e referência recorrente na obra de Naipaul. Os temas de migração e choque cultural apresentados nos dois romances têm sido presença constante na obra de Naipaul. Esta pesquisa mapeia a relação de continuidade entre os dois romances em questão e o conjunto da obra de Naipaul, salientando o papel da ambientação geográfica da narrativa, marcada pela jornada do protagonista através de três continentes. A teoria da transtextualidade é uma ferramenta operacional para a pesquisa, a qual examina a densidade das referências geográficas, históricas e literárias em Half a Life e Magic Seeds, visando aportar elementos para o estudo da produção literária de Naipaul, na medida em que estes romances recentes condensam e revisitam a visão de mundo deste autor. / This thesis traces the network of intertextual relations in the two latest novels by the 2001 Nobel Prize winner V. S. Naipaul: Half a Life (2001) and its sequel Magic Seeds (2004) as a means of contribution to the study of the author's work. The notion of intertextuality is a pervasive one within literary studies, the word itself started to be widely used in the sixties, following the definition of Julia Kristeva. Nuanced and even conflicting as the varied theories of intertextuality may be, they all share the idea that a text is not isolated or self-sufficient, but acquires full meaning in the interplay with other texts. A methodological approach based on Gerard Genette's theory of transtextuality is proposed for the analysis. This choice implies the study of intertexts, paratexts, metatexts, architexts and hypertexts that constitute the interface between the two novels at hand and other texts. The protagonist's name "William Somerset Chandran" sets the thread of several transtextual instances pervading the two novels. Taking the cue of the protagonist's first name – William – this thesis places the novels within the context of the Bildungsroman tradition and argues that these novels establish an architextual parody of this genre, subverting its core meaning of character formation. The protagonist's middle name – Somerset – leads to the discussion of the way the writer Somerset Maugham is fictionalized in the narrative and how it undermines the metropolitan ethos towards Hinduism as exposed in Maugham's novel The Razor's Edge. The protagonist's last name – Chandran – spawns a set of references to Naipaul's Indian ancestry and the role it plays in his fictional and non-fictional production; this name alludes to Narayan's novel The Bachelor of Arts, whose main character is also called Chandran. Narayan is a leading figure in Anglo-Indian Literature and a recurrent reference in Naipaul's writings. The themes of displacement and culture clash tackled by these novels have haunted the author throughout his career. The research maps out the two novels' relationship with the realm of Naipaul's previous writings; as well as brings to the fore the role of setting in the narratives, marked by the protagonist's dislocations in three continents. The theory of transtextuality provides the operational tool for the research, which examines the density of geographical, historical and literary references in Half a Life and Magic Seeds with the purpose of shedding light into Naipaul's literary production, inasmuch as these two recent novels condense and revisit the author's worldview.