2,044 research outputs found
An Economic Evaluation of a Pest Management Control Program: "Outfox the Fox"
No full textFoxes are regarded as a serious pest of environmental and grazing systems in Australia. The fox is a recognised predator of native wildlife and has been a significant contributor to the population decline of many native mammal, bird and reptile species. There are also claims that foxes may account for up to 30% of lamb mortalities in some areas, while mortality due to predation of 2 to 5% is more likely in most regions. The ‘Outfox the Fox’ program was established by NSW Agriculture in conjunction with a number of Rural Land Protection Boards to achieve a more strategic and coordinated fox baiting program. This program relies on a community driven and integrated management approach to the problem. The main features are to synchronise baiting across landholders at least twice a year, undertake baiting during periods when the fox is most susceptible, regularly check and replace baits, and continue until the bait take declines. A stochastic economic surplus and benefit-cost analysis model was developed to evaluate this program. The change in annual economic surplus due to the ‘Outfox the Fox’ program was 9.8m and a mean benefit-cost ratio of 13.0:1. The stochastic analysis indicated that there was a very low probability of this program providing a negative economic return.benefit cost analysis, research evaluation, economic surplus, fox, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use, Livestock Production/Industries, Production Economics, Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies, Q160,
Glen Canyon Dam p.10
No full textPhoto by: Jean and Fred Fox, Flagstaff, Ariz. Surveying the dam area
Sam fox trot
No full textGift of Dr. Mary Jane Esplen.Piano [instrumentation]C major [key]Ragtime piano solo [form/genre]Fox [illustration]Dedicated to Irving C. Perkins [dedication]W [engraver]Publisher's advertisement on back cover [note
Glen Pettigrove, Forgiveness and Love. Reviewed by Travis Pickell.
No full textReview of Glen Pettigrove, Forgiveness and Love (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012). xvi + 174pp., ISBN 978-0-19-964655-5.
Hannah Arendt famously called forgiveness ‘redemption from the predicament of irreversibility—of being unable to undo what one has done’ (The Human Condition, p. 212). Because right action is not always easy to discern, and when discerned not always easy to enact, we are all likely to be repeatedly in need of forgiveness—of extending it and receiving it. Forgiveness, then, would seem to play an enormously important role in sustaining relations among people, at both the individual and the societal levels—a truth reflected in recent philosophical interest in the concept, and in attempts to bring forgive-ness to bear in the political realm (e.g. South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission). In this helpful volume, Glen Pettigrove, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Auckland, carefully elucidates ‘the nature of forgive-ness, the conditions that make it possible, and the norms by which it is governed’ (p. xiii). In doing so, he makes a compelling case that forgiveness is a more diverse concept than is typically acknowledged in philosophical literature, and, therefore, can be an appropriate action in a wider range of circumstances than is sometimes allowed
Gothic television
No full textThis thesis examines forms of Gothic fiction on television, and defines the ways in which television produces Gothic drama which is medium-specific (e.g. formally distinct from versions of the genre in other media). This work employs a textual analysis to explore Gothic television, and combines this with archival research and an examination of the changing climate of television production in a range of national and historical contexts. The thesis is organised into four case studies, each dealing with different national industries during different periods: British anthology drama of the 1960s and 70s (e.g. Mystery and Imagination (ABC/Thames, 1966-70), Ghost Story for Christmas (BBC1, 1971-78)); Danish art television in the mid-nineties (Riget (Danmarks Radio/Zentropa, 1994); British adaptations of female Gothic literature, (e.g. Rebecca (BBC2, 1979), The Wyvern Mystery (BBC1/The Television Production Company, 2000); and big-budget, effects-laden series from North America in the 1990s (e.g. American Gothic (CBS/Renaissance, 1995-96), Millennium (20th Century Fox/10:13, 1996-1999). I argue that Gothic television plays on the genre's inherent fascination with the domestic/familial, to produce television drama with an overt consciousness of the contexts in which the programmes are being viewed, a consciousness which is locatable within the text itself; as such, the thesis defines the Gothic as a genre which is well suited to presentation on television.
Furthermore, an examination is offered of the 'model' viewer as presented within the television text, enabling an understanding of the ways in which conceptions of television viewership are inscribed into television drama at the moment of production. I also interrogate the notion that television is an 'uncanny' medium by locating the precise sources of uncanniness with Gothic television, and delineate the ways in which innovations in television production have been showcased through the representation of the supernatural and the uncanny with Gothic Television
Cerebral atrophy in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer disease: rates and acceleration.
No full textOBJECTIVE: To quantify the regional and global cerebral atrophy rates and assess acceleration rates in healthy controls, subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and subjects with mild Alzheimer disease (AD). METHODS: Using 0-, 6-, 12-, 18-, 24-, and 36-month MRI scans of controls and subjects with MCI and AD from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) database, we calculated volume change of whole brain, hippocampus, and ventricles between all pairs of scans using the boundary shift integral. RESULTS: We found no evidence of acceleration in whole-brain atrophy rates in any group. There was evidence that hippocampal atrophy rates in MCI subjects accelerate by 0.22%/year2 on average (p = 0.037). There was evidence of acceleration in rates of ventricular enlargement in subjects with MCI (p = 0.001) and AD (p < 0.001), with rates estimated to increase by 0.27 mL/year2 (95% confidence interval 0.12, 0.43) and 0.88 mL/year2 (95% confidence interval 0.47, 1.29), respectively. A post hoc analysis suggested that the acceleration of hippocampal loss in MCI subjects was mainly driven by the MCI subjects that were observed to progress to clinical AD within 3 years of baseline, with this group showing hippocampal atrophy rate acceleration of 0.50%/year2 (p = 0.003). CONCLUSIONS: The small acceleration rates suggest a long period of transition to the pathologic losses seen in clinical AD. The acceleration in hippocampal atrophy rates in MCI subjects in the ADNI seems to be driven by those MCI subjects who concurrently progressed to a clinical diagnosis of AD
Protein-ligand binding affinities from large-scale quantum mechanical simulations
No full textThe accurate prediction of protein-drug binding affinities is a major aim of computational drug optimisation and development. A quantitative measure of binding affinity is provided by the free energy of binding, and such calculations typically require extensive configurational sampling of entities such as proteins with thousands of atoms. Current binding free energy methods use force fields to perform the configurational sampling and to compute interaction energies. Due to the empirical nature of force fields and the neglect of electrons, electron polarisation and charge transfer are not accounted for explicitly. This can limit the accuracy with which interactions are calculated and consequently the free energies obtained. Ideally ab initio quantum chemistry approaches should be used as these explicitly include the electrons. However, conventional ab initio approaches are not suitable due to their prohibitively high computational cost and unfavourable scaling.In this thesis we use large-scale ab initio quantum chemistry calculations within the Density Functional Theory (DFT) method to address the above mentioned limitations of force fields. To obtain quantitative results with ab initio approaches it is important to converge the calculations with the size of the basis set. For this reason we have used the ONETEP program, which is capable of linear-scaling DFT with near-complete basis set accuracy.A well known binding free energy approach is the Molecular Mechanics Poisson-Boltzmann Surface Area (MM-PBSA), which obtains free energies from evaluation of the energy of configurations in an implicit solvent model. We present the first application of a “QM-PBSA” approach to a protein-ligand system containing over 2600 atoms. In this QM-PBSA approach the energies of the configurations in vacuum are evaluated with ONETEP. The solvation energies were also obtained with ONETEP using a minimal parameter implicit solvent model within the self-consistent calculation. Large-scale DFT calculations were also applied within a more theoretically rigorous free energy approach which can, in principle, obtain the full entropic contributions to free energy change. The method performs a mutation from a molecular mechanical (MM) description to an quantum mechanical (QM) description of a system. As a result a QM correction is added to the relative binding free energy obtained from a thermodynamic integration calculation within the MM description.This approach was combined with an electrostatic embedding model within ONETEP and used to calculate the hydration energies of small molecules. As well as the computation of more accurate energies, large-scale DFT calculation compute the electron density of the entire system. Using electron density analysis approaches, such as the Hirshfeld density analysis, in combination with energy decomposition approaches, such as a second order perturbation estimate of natural bond orbital interactions, both qualitative and quantitative understandings can be gained into the contributions of particular chemical functional groups that define protein-ligand interactions. These two approaches where applied to study complexes of the Phosphodiesterase type 5 protein and used to rank ligand binding affinities that agree well with then experimentally observed trends
On the improvement of the rifle, as a weapon for general use / by Lieut.-Colonel Lane-Fox, Grenadier Guards.
No full text'Read at the United Service Institution, on 14th June, 1858, Colonel the Hon. James Lindsay in the Chair' - t.p.; Signatures: B2, C2, D2; Electronic reproduction. Canberra, A.C.T. : National Library of Australia, 2011.; Library copy has marks in margins and signature on title page. "A brief account of the history of the rifle and of the experiemnets and trials which have accompanied its introduction into the English Army.The remarks ... are principally from a private journal which I [author] had kept during the course of experiements in which I [author] have been engaged at Woolwich, Enfield, Hythe and Malta, during the six years, commencing in 1851 and ending in 1857." -- [p.3]
Effects of Mash Style on β-Glucan Concentration and β-Glucanase Activity in the Production of Quality Wort for Beer Brewing
No full textThe hydrolysis by β-glucanase enzymes of barley β-glucan is important in the malting process to degrade endosperm cell walls and prepare malt for later sugar extraction during mashing. Excess β-glucan from unmalted adjuncts or unevenly modified malt can have a negative effect on wort and beer quality. This thesis explores how β-glucanase activity during mashing can influence wort β-glucan, viscosity, and filtration. First, a β-glucanase method was adapted for use on a Thermo Scientific BeerMaster Gallery autoanalyzer. This method enabled the simultaneous analysis of β-glucan and β-glucanase throughout the course of two different mash profiles—a European Brewing Congress (EBC) mash starting at 45°C and a modified Institute of Brewing (IoB) mash starting at 65°C. In the lowertemperature EBC mash, malt β¬-glucanase was able to reduce wort β-glucan contributed from 10-20% additions of unmalted barley. However, the higher temperature of the IoB mash resulted in rapid enzyme denaturation, and therefore a large amount of β-glucan accumulated in the wort. Two thermostable β-glucanases were added at the beginning of the IoB mash with 10-20% barley adjunct to evaluate their impact on β¬-glucan during the course of the mash. The β-glucanase from Trichoderma quickly hydrolyzed β-glucan as it was extracted, resulting in an easily separated wort with low β-glucan. The β-glucanase allozyme from wild barley was not as thermostable as the Trichoderma β-glucanase, and thus β-glucan accumulated in the wort as β¬-glucanase activity decayed. However, the addition of wild barley enzyme was able to reduce β-glucan in 10 and 20% barley mashes by 52 and 47% respectively. This thesis finds that the IoB mash condition is susceptible to high levels of wort β-glucan when the grist includes unmalted barley. Thermostable wild barley β-glucanase is able to reduce the amount of wort β-glucan, but it is not as effective as bacterial-source enzymes that are more thermostable and already commercially available
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Investigating Yeast and Hop Interactions During The Fermentation of Beer
No full textThe brewing of beer requires four main ingredients: malt, water, hops, and yeast. During the brewing process, the brewer creates a malt-derived sugar water, called wort, that is inoculated with yeast, causing fermentation to create carbon dioxide and alcohol from the sugars. Traditionally hops are added to the wort during the boiling process in order to balance the sweetness with isomerized alpha-acids that create bitterness. Hops also contain many other flavor-active compounds that brewers are attempting to harness for the creation of aromatic and complex beers. These flavor-active compounds can become even more desirable when hops are added to active fermentation in the presence of Saccharomyces yeast, a process known as dry-hopping. During this dry-hopping process, aromatic compounds from the hops can undergo biotransformation with glycosides of the yeast to create unique flavors, but these dry-hops also contain enzymes that are biochemically changing more than just aromatic compounds. The enzymes in the hops are breaking down residual oligosaccharides in the beer that are meant to create a fuller bodied beverage, known as dextrins, and converting them into simple, more fermentable sugars that the yeast can easily assimilate. The yeast ferments the newly hydrolyzed sugars, adding excess alcohol and possibly yeast derived off-flavors to the beer, a process termed “hop creep”. In this series of studies, the interactions between yeast and hops during the dry-hopping and fermentation process of beer was examined, as well as factors contributing to the hop creep phenomenon. Hop creep has been extensively studied from the back end of the brewing process, the hop perspective; this work intends to look at the phenomenon from the front end of fermentation, the yeast perspective. In the first part of this study, a bench top analysis was repeated to determine contribution to dry-hop creep from different hop cultivars. Previous research had determined a statistical difference amongst cultivars, but was unable to be confirmed here, so research set out to develop a bench method for hop creep analysis that brewers could perform easily with little laboratory skills. Following method development, a screening of Saccharomyces yeasts from the UC Davis Phaff Yeast Culture Collection commenced in order to identify yeasts with properties advantageous to brewing. Yeasts were screened for their ethanol tolerance, carbohydrate metabolism, as well as nitrogen and amino acid assimilation, all of which are important qualities for the brewer. The screening was successful and expanded to full pilot scale at Anheuser-Busch InBev Research Pilot Brewery at the Robert Mondavi Institute. Six non-cerevisiae and non-pastorianus Saccharomyces yeasts that had not previously been used to create ales were used in fermentations in duplicate, with one fermenter in each set receiving 10 g/L of dry-hops during fermentation. Beers were measure for alcohol, real degree of fermentation (RDF), gravity, calories, pH, and yeast viability during fermentation, and sensory analysis was performed on finished beer. All yeasts displayed unique characteristics that may offer great potential to a complexly evolving and consumer driven beer market.
In addition to the six yeasts described above, twenty-four more Saccharomyces strains chosen for their typical use in the production of alcoholic beverages were also used in fermentation at 40 L pilot scale, totaling thirty unique yeasts used in this study. Yeasts from the Phaff Collection, as well as three commercial suppliers, were aseptically propagated from single cultures with the necessary cell volume for these pilot scale fermentations. Again, they were fermented in duplicate, with one fermenter receiving a dry-hop of 10 g/L, and fermentation was monitored until gravity was deemed terminal and the beer had fully attenuated. RDF, alcohol, and pH were tracked as fermentation progressed; the previously determined bench method was also utilized to determine the amount of hop creep expected. No Saccharomyces yeasts in this study presented themselves for the effective mitigation of hop creep, but analysis of this manner has never been performed before, so much insight was gained. More research remains on a correlation of flocculation and dry-hop creep, amino acid and diacetyl analysis on dry-hopped in comparison to non-hopped fermentations, and secondary metabolites from the fermentation of beer with these unique yeasts, especially in the presence of hops
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