Application of meta-analysis in plant pathology: a case study examining the impact of fungicides on wheat yield loss from the yellow spot—septoria nodorum blotch disease complex in Western Australia

This work was done to demonstrate the opportunities provided by application of meta-analysis in plant pathology. It was a case study used to determine the effectiveness of foliar fungicides in minimising yield loss from a complex of yellow spot (Pyrenophora tritici-repentis) and septoria nodorum blotch (Stagonospora nodorum, teleomorph: Phaeosphaeria nodorum) (YS-SNB disease complex) on wheat in the northern grain-belt of Western Australia. Forty-seven datasets of experimental results from 14 growing seasons, using 18 varieties sprayed one to three times, predominantly with tebuconazole or propiconazole fungicides, were analysed. Across the datasets, the wheat yield gain from fungicide application was 297 kg ha^?1 with a 95 % confidence interval of 11.6 kg ha^?1. Significant yield gains resulted from single or multiple applications of fungicides. Both propiconazole and tebuconazole, increased yield of wheat affected by the YS–SNB disease complex, with yield gain from propiconazole being greater than that from tebuconazole. Yield response varied significantly among crop growing seasons. Meta-analysis was able to aggregate a large number of experimental results and answer important questions related to the variables that influenced those results; in this case the effectiveness of fungicides in minimising yield loss from the YS-SNB disease complex on wheat. It also identified areas where further research needs to be done. It is concluded that meta-analysis has the potential to contribute to similar analyses in other crop disease systems.     

A modularized framework for solving an economic–environmental power generation mix problem

This paper presents a modularized simulation modelling framework for evaluating the impacts on economic cost and CO₂ emissions resulting from the introduction of a solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) system into the existing mix of centralized power generation technologies in Japan. The framework is comprised of three parts: a dual‐objective linear programming model that solves the generation best‐mix problem for the existing power generation technologies; a nonlinear SOFC system model in which the economic cost and CO₂ emissions by the SOFC system can be calculated; and the Queuing Multi‐Objective Optimizer (QMOO), a multi‐objective evolutionary algorithm (MOEA) developed at the EPFL in Switzerland as the overall optimizer of the combined power supply system. Thus, the framework integrates an evolutionary algorithm that is more suitable for handling nonlinearities with a calculus‐based method that is more efficient in solving linear programming problems. Simulation experiments show that the framework is successful in solving the stated problem. Moreover, the three components of the modularized framework can be interconnected through a platform‐independent model integration environment. As a result, the framework is flexible and scalable, and can potentially be modified and/or integrated with other models to study more complex problems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Induction of a Th1 immune response and simultaneous lack of activation of a Th2 response are required for generation of immunity to leishmaniasis

Experimental systems based on immunization with plasmid DNA or immune-stimulating complexes were used to delineate the requirements for generation of protective immunity against murine leishmaniasis. Vaccination with plasmid DNA encoding the host-protective Leishmania major parasite surface Ag-2 primed for an essentially exclusive Th1 response that protected mice against L. major infection. In contrast, parasite surface Ag-2 in immune-stimulating complexes generated an immune response with mixed Th1-like and Th2-like properties that was not protective despite the activation of large numbers of CD4+ T cells secreting IFN-gamma. These results indicate that a Th1 response is sufficient to protect against cutaneous leishmaniasis, but the induction of a simultaneous Th2 response abrogates the Th1 effector function. DNA vaccines may therefore have an advantage for diseases in which protection depends on the induction of Th1 responses.     

Wearable computers — an application of BT's mobile video system for the construction industry

The construction industry is acknowledged to be heavily dependent on information flow and communications. Electronic communication from one office to another is relatively straightforward with today's technology. However, when one of the parties wishing to communicate is based out on the construction site, problems of remoteness and insufficient infrastructure can limit the effectiveness of their communications. The emergence of wearable computers offers a potential method of improving this situation, particularly when a visual link is provided by a mobile video transmission system.This paper outlines the subject of wearable computers, and describes the use of a mobile video camera in a construction application setting. The system has been used on a live construction project at Brindleyplace in Birmingham. Brindleyplace is currently one of the largest commercial construction projects in Europe.The system is described in detail, followed by some critical comments made by the users of the system. The paper also draws on issues such as possible applications and potential benefits to be gained in the long term. Technology and design issues of the system are also discussed.     

Soft Computing for Intelligent Knowledge-based Systems

Knowledge-based systems are founded on the idea that knowledge should be declarative, so that it can be easily read, understood, and altered by a human user as well as by a machine. Logic fulfils these criteria, and logic programming has been widely used for implementing knowledge-based systems. One major shortcoming of logic programming is the lack of a mechanism to deal with the uncertainty inherent in many knowledge-based systems. Soft computing is a key technology for the management of uncertainty, although so far its major successes have been centred on fuzzy control rather than higher level information management. This paper outlines some of the issues related to the area of soft computing in knowledge-based systems, and suggests some simple problems to test the capabilities of software. Fril is discussed as an implementation language for knowledge-based systems involving uncertainty, and some of its applications are outlined.     

Gender differences in sexual interest

A common gender stereotype is that males are more interested than females in sex for purely physical reasons. Sociobiologists claim that this difference is biologically determined. In contrast, many sociologists and anthropologists claim that the difference is cultural. The debate about nature versus nurture regarding sexual interest has been long-standing without resolution. We propose a biosocial model that integrates data about nature and nurture to show (i) how several biological factors tilt males and females in different directions related to sexual interest, and (ii) how numerous social factors influence the way the biological tilts can be redirected in countless different ways as individuals grow up in subsets of their culture and subculture. This interactionist approach does not down-play the importance of either biological or social factors: It avoids nature-nurture debates that pit nature against nurture by showing how biological and social factors act in concert, combining their influences. The resulting work contributes to both the theoretical and practical literature, not only showing how sexology can deal with issues of nature and nurture but also providing information useful to people who are troubled about common gender differences in sexual interest.