The repeatability of textural wool handle

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (4) ◽  
pp. 793
Author(s):  
J. W. V. Preston ◽  
S. Hatcher ◽  
B. A. McGregor

Merino breeders use textural greasy wool handle in ram buying and breeding decisions. The effectiveness of the current wool handle scoring system has not been objectively evaluated. The assessor repeatability of textural wool handle was quantified using three different methods of assessment (on the live animal, as a greasy wool mid-side sample, and as a clean (scoured) wool mid-side sample). The aim of the study was to determine which method of assessment is the most repeatable. Three separately defined repeatability estimates were calculated based on knowledge about the operator. The first estimate was based on the assessor repeatability from the operators used in this study. The second estimate was calculated using replicate values obtained from the same random assessor and the third estimate was based on two results from independent random assessors. The results demonstrated that the assessor repeatability was the greatest when handle was assessed on the clean wool mid-side method, followed by the greasy wool mid-side assessment, and least in the live-animal assessment. However, there was significant variation in the repeatability estimates between the four assessors used in the study. Accounting for fixed effects such as sex, sire group, birth type and rearing type, decreased the variation observed and thus had a negative impact on the assessor repeatability of textural wool handle. The results in this study indicate that non-wool constituents negatively impact on the ability of an assessor to consistently assign a score for textual handle in the greasy wool mid-side method. It is likely that the added cost and time required for scouring to assess handle in the clean state may not be economically viable in most situations. However, the increase in repeatability by assessing handle in greasy wool mid-side method compared with the live-animal assessment indicates that sheep producers should use this strategy when evaluating the trait on-farm.

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Juan Ponce ◽  
Nilo M. Cedeño

The National Secretary for Higher Education, Science, Technology and Innovation in Ecuador (locally SENESCYT) started an ambitious grants program in 2011. The main objective of the program was to send Ecuadorian students to undertake postgraduate studies at universities overseas. This article evaluates the impact of this grant policy on the labor income of the beneficiaries after they have completed their studies abroad and returned to Ecuador. Using a fixed-effects with lagged dependent variable model combined with a propensity score matching, we find a negative impact on the income of the grant holders during the first year following their return to the country. For the second year, the effect is non-significant. During the third year, the impact becomes significant and positive. The grant holders who returned having completed their postgraduate program abroad had a 9% higher employment income in the third year than those who did their postgraduate studies in Ecuador. The program's effect concentrates on women, the low-income group, and on those beneficiaries that studied in the USA.


Cancers ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alice Indini ◽  
Fausto Petrelli ◽  
Gianluca Tomasello ◽  
Erika Rijavec ◽  
Antonio Facciorusso ◽  
...  

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the role of gastric acid suppressant use on outcomes of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) and oral chemotherapy. We identified all research evaluating the effect of GAS (gastric acid suppressants) use on patients receiving oral chemotherapy or TKIs for solid tumors. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence interval (95%CI) for overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated with a fixed-effects or a random effects model. The study population included n = 16 retrospective studies and 372,418 patients. The series concerned gastrointestinal tract tumors (n = 5 studies), renal cell carcinomas (RCC, n = 3 studies), non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC, n = 5 studies), and soft tissue sarcomas or mixed histologies solid tumors in n = 3 studies. The pooled HRs for OS and PFS were 1.31 (95%CI: 1.20–1.43; p < 0.01) and 1.3 (95%CI 1.07–1.57; p < 0.01) for GAS and no GAS users, respectively. Only studies of EGFR (epidermal growth factor receptor) mutated NSCLC patients receiving TKIs and those with colorectal cancer receiving oral chemotherapy showed a significant correlation between GAS and poor survival. Our study supports the evidence of a possible negative impact of concomitant GAS therapy on survival outcomes of patients receiving oral anti-cancer drugs.


Parasitology ◽  
1946 ◽  
Vol 37 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 192-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. A. Sprent

A description is given of the processes of copulation, formation of the egg and spermatozoon, cleavage, embryogeny and hatching in B. phlebotomum. These processes were found to be essentially similar to those in other strongyle nematodes.The anatomy of the first three larval stages is described and the observations of Conradi & Barnette (1908) and Schwartz (1924) were largely confirmed.Penetration of the skin of calves by the infective larva was observed histologically. The larvae were found to have reached the dermis within 30 min. and to have penetrated the cutaneous blood vessels within 60 min. of application to the skin. The larvae were found in the lung where the third ecdysis was in progress 10 days after penetration of the skin. A description is given of the growth of the third-stage larva in the lung, the changes which take place during the third ecdysis, and the anatomy of the fourth-stage larva.The fourth-stage larvae exsheath in the lungs and travel to the intestine. After a period of growth in which sexual differentiation takes place, the fourth ecdysis occurs and the adult parasite emerges. The time required for the attainment of maturity was found to be somewhere between 30 and 56 days after penetration of the skin.This paper was written at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries Veterinary Laboratories, Wey-bridge, and the writer would like to express his gratitude to the Director, Prof. T. Dalling, also to Dr W. R. Wooldridge, chairman of the Council of the Veterinary Educational Trust for their help and encouragement. The writer's thanks are also due to Dr H. A. Baylis, Prof. R. T. Leiper and Dr E. L. Taylor for their advice and help on technical points, and to Mr R. A. O. Shonekan, African laboratory assistant, for his able co-operation.


2009 ◽  
Vol 60 (2) ◽  
pp. 91-98 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia Noël ◽  
Roland Bammer ◽  
Caroline Reinhold ◽  
Masoom A. Haider

Objective To familiarize the reader with the fundamental concepts of partial parallel imaging (PPI); to review the technical aspects of PPI including calibration scan, coil geometry, and field of view (FOV); and to illustrate artifacts related to parallel imaging and describe solutions to minimize their negative impact. Results PPI has led to a significant advance in body magnetic resonance imaging by reducing the time required to generate an image without loss of spatial resolution. Although PPI can improve image quality, it is not free of artifacts, which can result in significant image degradation. Knowledge of these artifacts and how to minimize their effect is important to optimize the use of parallel imaging for specific body magnetic resonance imaging applications. Conclusions The reader will be introduced to the fundamental principles of PPI. Common imaging characteristics of PPI artifacts will be displayed with an emphasis on those seen with image-based methods, the principles behind their generation presented, and measures to minimize their negative impact will be proposed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 427-434 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy D. Houser ◽  
Adam H. Porter ◽  
Howard S. Ginsberg ◽  
Elizabeth M. Jakob

The phenologies of introduced relative to native species can greatly influence the degree and symmetry of competition between them. The European spider Linyphia triangularis (Clerck, 1757) (Linyphiidae) reaches very high densities in coastal Maine (USA). Previous studies suggest that L. triangularis negatively affects native linyphiid species, with competition for webs as one mechanism. We documented phenological differences between L. triangularis and three native species that illustrate the potential for the reversal of size-based competitive advantage over the course of the year. To test whether relative size influences interaction outcome, we allowed a resident spider to build a web and then introduced an intruder. We examined whether the outcomes of agonistic interactions over the webs were influenced by the species of the resident (invasive or native), the relative size of the contestants, and the species × size interaction. We found that the importance of relative size differed among species. In interactions between L. triangularis and each of two native species, size played a greater role than resident species on the outcome of interactions, suggesting that competitive advantage reverses over the season based on phenology-related size differences. Linyphia triangularis had a negative impact on the third species regardless of relative size.


2021 ◽  
pp. 003072702110049
Author(s):  
Mashudu Tshikovhi ◽  
Roscoe Bertrum van Wyk

This study examines the impact of increasing climate variability on food production in South Africa, focusing on maize and wheat yields. A two-way fixed effects panel regression model was used to assess the climate variability impacts, analysing secondary data for the period 2000 to 2019 for nine provinces in South Africa. The study found that increasing climate variability has a negative impact on maize and wheat production in South Africa. Specifically, the results indicated a negative correlation between mean annual temperature with both maize and wheat yields. A decrease in precipitation affected maize yields negatively, while the impact on wheat yields was positive, although insignificant. This analysis, therefore, depicted that crop yields generally increase with more annual precipitation and decrease with higher temperatures. The study recommends that funding initiatives to educate farmers on increasing climate variability and its effects on farming activities in South Africa should be prioritised.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-56
Author(s):  
Vesna Karadžić ◽  
Nikola Đalović

Abstract The subject of research in this paper is the profitability of the biggest banks in the European financial market, some of which operate in Montenegro. The profitability of banks is influenced by a large number of factors, including internal banking and external macroeconomic factors. The aim of this paper is to use statistical and econometric methods to examine which factors and with what intensity affect the profitability of large banks in Europe. The empirical analysis used highly balanced panel models with annual data on 47 large banks from 14 European countries over the period 2013-2018. Three static panel models were estimated and evaluated (pooled ordinary least squares, model with fixed effects and model with random effects), as well as dynamic model utilizing general methods of moments. The POLS model was chosen as the best, confirming that all macroeconomic factors have a statistically significant impact on the profitability of big banks, while the impact of internal factors, which are controlled by the bank’s management, is not significant. GDP growth rate, inflation rate and market concentration have a positive effect on profitability, while the membership of the European Union has a negative impact on profit, meaning that banks with headquarters outside the EU are more profitable.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 418
Author(s):  
M. Reza Fachrezy ◽  
Zainal Abidin ◽  
Adia Nugraha

This study aims to determine the socio-economic characteristics of farmers, analyze the income structure, the factors that affect the income of farmers, and the level of household welfare of farmers who live around Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, Pesisir Barat District. This research is a survey research involving 99 respondents who were randomly selected. Respondents were spread across four subdistricts, namely Bengkunat Belimbing, Ngambur, Pesisir Selatan, and Karya Penggawa Districts. The study was conducted from July to August 2018. The first objective was analyzed qualitatively, the second objective was analyzed using household income analysis, the third objective used multiple linear regression analysis, and the fourth objective was using Sajogyo's criteria (1997). The study suggested that the socio-economic characteristics of the farmers around TNBBS were spread from 15 to 64 years of age with an average age of 43.74 years. The average education level was elementary school, the number of majority of family sizes was from 4 to 6 people (67.68%), and the average land was 1.41 ha. The average household income of farmers is IDR 36,946,883.94 per year, which consists of on-farm income 63.68%, off-farm income 11.00%, and non-farm income 25.33%.. Factors that affect farmers' income are fertilizer costs and labor costs. The welfare of farmers around TNBBS is in quite prosperous category.Key words: characteristics, household income, welfare


2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
hasdiana

This preprint has been presented in the 3rd International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research, Medan, october 16 – 18, 2014---In this study the authors use the scheme of Shamir's Three Pass Protocol for Hill Cipher operation. Scheme of Shamir's Three Pass Protocol is an attractive scheme that allows senders and receivers to communicate without the key exchange. Hill Cipher is chosen because of the key-shaped matrix, which is expected to complicate the various techniques of cryptanalyst. The results of this study indicate that the weakness of the scheme of Shamir's Three Pass Protocol for XOR operation is not fully valid if it is used for Hill Cipher operations. Cryptanalyst can utilize only the third ciphertext that invertible. Matrix transpose techniques in the ciphertext aims to difficulties in solving this algorithm. The original ciphertext generated in each process is different from the transmitted ciphertext. The level of difficulty increases due to the use of larger key matrix. The amount of time required for the execution of the program depends on the length of the plaintext and the value of the matrix element. Plaintext has the same length produce different execution time depending on the value of the key elements of the matrix used.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Jonnette Watson Hamilton

Adverse effects discrimination arises when a law that appears to be neutral on its face has a disproportionate and negative impact on members of a group identified by a protected ground.1 The discrimination is usually not as easy to see as it is in cases of direct discrimination, where distinctions are drawn by a law, program, or policy. This may be why Fraser v Canada (Attorney General)2 is only the third adverse effects claim under section 15(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms3 to succeed since section 15 came into force in 1985.4 Fraser is notable simply because it is the first successful adverse effects claim in twenty-two years.5 1 Jonnette Watson Hamilton & Jennifer Koshan. “Adverse Impact: The Supreme Court’s Approach to Adverse Effects Discrimination under Section 15 of the Charter” (2015) 19:2 Rev Const Stud Studies 191 at 196 [“Adverse Impact”]. 2 2020 SCC 28 [Fraser]. 3 Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B to the Canada Act 1982 (UK), 1982, c 11 [Charter]. 4 The other two cases in which adverse effects claims were successful were Eldridge v British Columbia, [1997] 3 SCR 624, 151 DLR (4th) 577 [Eldridge cited to SCR] and Vriend v Alberta, [1998] 1 SCR 493, 156 DLR (4th) 385 [Vriend cited to SCR]. 5 At least five adverse effects claims made under section 15 of the Charter failed in the intervening twentytwo years: Health Services and Support — Facilities Subsector Bargaining Assn v British Columbia, 2007 SCC


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