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Project acronym ACTINONSRF
Project MAL: an actin-regulated SRF transcriptional coactivator
Researcher (PI) Richard Treisman
Host Institution (HI) THE FRANCIS CRICK INSTITUTE LIMITED
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), LS1, ERC-2010-AdG_20100317
Summary MAL: an actin-regulated SRF transcriptional coactivator Recent years have seen a revitalised interest in the role of actin in nuclear processes, but the molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unexplored. We will elucidate the molecular basis for the actin-based control of the SRF transcriptional coactivator, MAL. SRF controls transcription through two families of coactivators, the actin-binding MRTFs (MAL, Mkl2), which couple its activity to cytoskeletal dynamics, and the ERK-regulated TCFs (Elk-1, SAP-1, Net). MAL subcellular localisation and transcriptional activity responds to signal-induced changes in G-actin concentration, which are sensed by its actin-binding N-terminal RPEL domain. Members of a second family of RPEL proteins, the Phactrs, also exhibit actin-regulated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. The proposal addresses the following novel features of actin biology: ¿	Actin as a transcriptional regulator ¿	Actin as a signalling molecule ¿	Actin-binding proteins as targets for regulation by actin, rather than regulators of actin function We will analyse the sequences and proteins involved in actin-regulated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, using structural biology and biochemistry to analyse its control by changes in actin-RPEL domain interactions. We will characterise the dynamics of shuttling, and develop reporters for changes in actin-MAL interaction for analysis of pathway activation in vivo. We will identify genes controlling MAL itself, and the balance between the nuclear and cytoplasmic actin pools. The mechanism by which actin represses transcriptional activation by MAL in the nucleus, and its relation to MAL phosphorylation, will be elucidated. Finally, we will map MRTF and TCF cofactor recruitment to SRF targets on a genome-wide scale, and identify the steps in transcription controlled by actin-MAL interaction.
MAL: an actin-regulated SRF transcriptional coactivator Recent years have seen a revitalised interest in the role of actin in nuclear processes, but the molecular mechanisms involved remain largely unexplored. We will elucidate the molecular basis for the actin-based control of the SRF transcriptional coactivator, MAL. SRF controls transcription through two families of coactivators, the actin-binding MRTFs (MAL, Mkl2), which couple its activity to cytoskeletal dynamics, and the ERK-regulated TCFs (Elk-1, SAP-1, Net). MAL subcellular localisation and transcriptional activity responds to signal-induced changes in G-actin concentration, which are sensed by its actin-binding N-terminal RPEL domain. Members of a second family of RPEL proteins, the Phactrs, also exhibit actin-regulated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling. The proposal addresses the following novel features of actin biology: ¿	Actin as a transcriptional regulator ¿	Actin as a signalling molecule ¿	Actin-binding proteins as targets for regulation by actin, rather than regulators of actin function We will analyse the sequences and proteins involved in actin-regulated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling, using structural biology and biochemistry to analyse its control by changes in actin-RPEL domain interactions. We will characterise the dynamics of shuttling, and develop reporters for changes in actin-MAL interaction for analysis of pathway activation in vivo. We will identify genes controlling MAL itself, and the balance between the nuclear and cytoplasmic actin pools. The mechanism by which actin represses transcriptional activation by MAL in the nucleus, and its relation to MAL phosphorylation, will be elucidated. Finally, we will map MRTF and TCF cofactor recruitment to SRF targets on a genome-wide scale, and identify the steps in transcription controlled by actin-MAL interaction.
Project acronym ARCID
Project The Role of Arl Proteins in Retinal and other Ciliary Diseases
Researcher (PI) Alfred Wittinghofer
Host Institution (HI) MAX-PLANCK-GESELLSCHAFT ZUR FORDERUNG DER WISSENSCHAFTEN EV
Summary Arl (Arf-like) proteins, GTP-binding proteins of the Ras superfamily, are molecular switches that cycle between a GDP-bound inactive and GTP-bound active state. There are 16 members of the Arl subfamily in the human genome whose basic mechanistic function is unknown. The interactome of Arl2/3 includes proteins involved in retinopathies and other ciliary diseases such as Leber¿s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) and kidney diseases such as nephronophthisis. Arl6 has been found mutated in Bardet Biedl Syndrome, another pleiotropic ciliary disease. In the proposed interdisciplinary project I want to explore the function of the protein network of Arl2/3 and Arl6 by a combination of biochemical, biophysical and structural methods and use the knowledge obtained to probe their function in live cells. As with other subfamily proteins of the Ras superfamily which have been found to mediate similar biological functions I want to derive a basic understanding of the function of Arl proteins and how it relates to the development and function of the ciliary organelle and how they contribute to ciliary diseases. The molecules in the focus of the project are: the GTP-binding proteins Arl2, 3, 6; RP2, an Arl3GAP mutated in Retinitis pigmentosa; Regulators of Arl2 and 3; PDE¿ and HRG4, effectors of Arl2/3, which bind lipidated proteins; RPGR, mutated in Retinitis pigmentosa, an interactor of PDE¿; RPGRIP and RPGRIPL, interactors of RPGR mutated in LCA and other ciliopathies; Nephrocystin, mutated in nephronophthisis, an interactor of RPGRIP and Arl6, mutated in Bardet Biedl Syndrome, and the BBS complex. The working hypothesis is that Arl protein network(s) mediate ciliary transport processes and that the GTP switch cycle of Arl proteins is an important element of regulation of these processes.
Arl (Arf-like) proteins, GTP-binding proteins of the Ras superfamily, are molecular switches that cycle between a GDP-bound inactive and GTP-bound active state. There are 16 members of the Arl subfamily in the human genome whose basic mechanistic function is unknown. The interactome of Arl2/3 includes proteins involved in retinopathies and other ciliary diseases such as Leber¿s Congenital Amaurosis (LCA) and kidney diseases such as nephronophthisis. Arl6 has been found mutated in Bardet Biedl Syndrome, another pleiotropic ciliary disease. In the proposed interdisciplinary project I want to explore the function of the protein network of Arl2/3 and Arl6 by a combination of biochemical, biophysical and structural methods and use the knowledge obtained to probe their function in live cells. As with other subfamily proteins of the Ras superfamily which have been found to mediate similar biological functions I want to derive a basic understanding of the function of Arl proteins and how it relates to the development and function of the ciliary organelle and how they contribute to ciliary diseases. The molecules in the focus of the project are: the GTP-binding proteins Arl2, 3, 6; RP2, an Arl3GAP mutated in Retinitis pigmentosa; Regulators of Arl2 and 3; PDE¿ and HRG4, effectors of Arl2/3, which bind lipidated proteins; RPGR, mutated in Retinitis pigmentosa, an interactor of PDE¿; RPGRIP and RPGRIPL, interactors of RPGR mutated in LCA and other ciliopathies; Nephrocystin, mutated in nephronophthisis, an interactor of RPGRIP and Arl6, mutated in Bardet Biedl Syndrome, and the BBS complex. The working hypothesis is that Arl protein network(s) mediate ciliary transport processes and that the GTP switch cycle of Arl proteins is an important element of regulation of these processes.
Project acronym CIRCATRANS
Project Control of mouse metabolism by circadian clock-coordinated mRNA translation
Researcher (PI) Frédéric Bruno Martin Gachon
Host Institution (HI) NESTEC SA
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), LS1, ERC-2010-StG_20091118
Summary The mammalian circadian clock plays a fundamental role in the liver by regulating fatty acid, glucose and xenobiotic metabolism. Impairment of this rhythm has been show to lead to diverse pathologies including metabolic syndrome. At present, it is supposed that the circadian clock regulates metabolism mostly by regulating the expression of liver enzymes at the transcriptional level. We have now collected evidence that post-transcriptional regulations play also an important role in this regulation. Particularly, recent results from our laboratory show that the circadian clock can synchronize mRNA translation in mouse liver through rhythmic activation of the Target Of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1) with a 12-hours period. Based on this unexpected observation, we plan to identify the genes rhythmically translated in the mouse liver as well as the mechanisms involved in this translation. Indeed, our initial observations suggest a cap-independent translation during the day and a cap-dependent translation during the night. Identification of the different complexes involved in translation at this two different times and their correlation with the sequence, structure, and/or function of the translated genes will provide new insight into the action of the circadian clock on animal metabolism. In parallel, we will identify the signalling pathways involved in the rhythmic activation of TORC1 in mouse liver. Finally, we will study the consequences of a deregulated rhythmic translation in circadian clock-deficient mice on the metabolism and the longevity of these animals. Perturbations of the circadian clock have been linked to numerous pathologies, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Our project on the importance of circadian clock-coordinated translation will likely reveal new findings in the field of regulation of animal metabolism by the circadian clock.
The mammalian circadian clock plays a fundamental role in the liver by regulating fatty acid, glucose and xenobiotic metabolism. Impairment of this rhythm has been show to lead to diverse pathologies including metabolic syndrome. At present, it is supposed that the circadian clock regulates metabolism mostly by regulating the expression of liver enzymes at the transcriptional level. We have now collected evidence that post-transcriptional regulations play also an important role in this regulation. Particularly, recent results from our laboratory show that the circadian clock can synchronize mRNA translation in mouse liver through rhythmic activation of the Target Of Rapamycin Complex 1 (TORC1) with a 12-hours period. Based on this unexpected observation, we plan to identify the genes rhythmically translated in the mouse liver as well as the mechanisms involved in this translation. Indeed, our initial observations suggest a cap-independent translation during the day and a cap-dependent translation during the night. Identification of the different complexes involved in translation at this two different times and their correlation with the sequence, structure, and/or function of the translated genes will provide new insight into the action of the circadian clock on animal metabolism. In parallel, we will identify the signalling pathways involved in the rhythmic activation of TORC1 in mouse liver. Finally, we will study the consequences of a deregulated rhythmic translation in circadian clock-deficient mice on the metabolism and the longevity of these animals. Perturbations of the circadian clock have been linked to numerous pathologies, including obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Our project on the importance of circadian clock-coordinated translation will likely reveal new findings in the field of regulation of animal metabolism by the circadian clock.
Project acronym CRIPTON
Project Role of ncRNAs in Chromatin and Transcription
Researcher (PI) Tony Kouzarides
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Summary The human genome is highly transcribed, with over 90% of sequences contributing to the production of RNA. The function of the vast majority of these RNAs is unknown. Evidence over many years has revealed that transcription factors and chromatin regulators are associated with a variety of non-coding (nc)RNAs, but their function remains largely unknown. There are a few cases where a role has been ascribed for ncRNAs in transcription, but no clear mechanistic insight has been defined yet. We predict that many of the newly identified ncRNAs emanating from the genome will play a role in transcriptional processes. We intend to identify and characterise such ncRNAs. This will take place in two phases. In the first phase we will use biochemical approaches to identify ncRNAs involved in the regulation of chromatin and transcription. Our investigations will focus on proteins leading to the induction of pluripotency and oncogenesis. ncRNAs associated with such proteins will be identified using targeted screens. In the second phase, the importance of these RNAs in determining pluripotency and oncogenesis will be analysed. In addition, a variety of molecular approaches will be used to investigate the mechanism by which these ncRNAs regulate the function of the proteins or complexes they associate with. One particular hypothesis we will explore is that such ncRNAs play a role in guiding proteins to DNA sequences, via the formation of RNA/DNA triplexes. This concerted and focused analysis will provide mechanistic insights into the functions of ncRNAs in transcriptional regulation and validate their role in key biological processes. The identification of such new ncRNA-regulated pathways may open up new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
The human genome is highly transcribed, with over 90% of sequences contributing to the production of RNA. The function of the vast majority of these RNAs is unknown. Evidence over many years has revealed that transcription factors and chromatin regulators are associated with a variety of non-coding (nc)RNAs, but their function remains largely unknown. There are a few cases where a role has been ascribed for ncRNAs in transcription, but no clear mechanistic insight has been defined yet. We predict that many of the newly identified ncRNAs emanating from the genome will play a role in transcriptional processes. We intend to identify and characterise such ncRNAs. This will take place in two phases. In the first phase we will use biochemical approaches to identify ncRNAs involved in the regulation of chromatin and transcription. Our investigations will focus on proteins leading to the induction of pluripotency and oncogenesis. ncRNAs associated with such proteins will be identified using targeted screens. In the second phase, the importance of these RNAs in determining pluripotency and oncogenesis will be analysed. In addition, a variety of molecular approaches will be used to investigate the mechanism by which these ncRNAs regulate the function of the proteins or complexes they associate with. One particular hypothesis we will explore is that such ncRNAs play a role in guiding proteins to DNA sequences, via the formation of RNA/DNA triplexes. This concerted and focused analysis will provide mechanistic insights into the functions of ncRNAs in transcriptional regulation and validate their role in key biological processes. The identification of such new ncRNA-regulated pathways may open up new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
Project acronym D-END
Project Telomeres: from the DNA end replication problem to the control of cell proliferation
Researcher (PI) Maria Teresa Teixeira Fernandes Bernardo
Summary Linear chromosomes of eukaryotes end with telomeres that ensure their stability. Because of the inability of semi-conservative DNA replication machinery to fully replicate DNA ends, telomeres require dedicated mechanisms to be duplicated and their length is eroded at each cell division. For this reason, telomeres constitute molecular clocks that determine cell proliferation potential in eukaryotes. Strikingly, we have shown recently that it is the shortest telomere in the cell that determines the onset of replicative senescence. This project aims a complete and detailed dissection of the in vivo DNA-end replication problem and the deep understanding of its impact for cell division capability. Specifically my goals are (1) the determination of the exact structures that result from the replication of DNA extremities, (2) the examination of the activities operating at the shortest telomere that triggers replicative senescence and (3) the investigation of the correspondence between telomere molecular structure and cell proliferation state at individual cell scale. To achieve this, I will undertake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae original and innovative single-molecule and single-cell approaches, that, in combination with genome-wide screens and sophisticated cellular settings, will allow to track and challenge a specified telomere of defined length. I anticipate that this work will lead to an in-depth understanding of how telomeres are replicated and how they enable the control of cell proliferation in eukaryotic cells, a matter at the intersection of the fundamentals of molecular genetics, cell biology of aging and oncology.
Linear chromosomes of eukaryotes end with telomeres that ensure their stability. Because of the inability of semi-conservative DNA replication machinery to fully replicate DNA ends, telomeres require dedicated mechanisms to be duplicated and their length is eroded at each cell division. For this reason, telomeres constitute molecular clocks that determine cell proliferation potential in eukaryotes. Strikingly, we have shown recently that it is the shortest telomere in the cell that determines the onset of replicative senescence. This project aims a complete and detailed dissection of the in vivo DNA-end replication problem and the deep understanding of its impact for cell division capability. Specifically my goals are (1) the determination of the exact structures that result from the replication of DNA extremities, (2) the examination of the activities operating at the shortest telomere that triggers replicative senescence and (3) the investigation of the correspondence between telomere molecular structure and cell proliferation state at individual cell scale. To achieve this, I will undertake in Saccharomyces cerevisiae original and innovative single-molecule and single-cell approaches, that, in combination with genome-wide screens and sophisticated cellular settings, will allow to track and challenge a specified telomere of defined length. I anticipate that this work will lead to an in-depth understanding of how telomeres are replicated and how they enable the control of cell proliferation in eukaryotic cells, a matter at the intersection of the fundamentals of molecular genetics, cell biology of aging and oncology.
Project acronym DDRREAM
Project DNA-Damage responses: Regulation and mechanisms
Researcher (PI) Stephen Philip Jackson
Summary The prime objective for every life form is to deliver its genetic material, intact, to the next generation. Each human cell receives tens-of-thousands of DNA lesions per day. These lesions can block genome replication and transcription, and if not repaired or repaired incorrectly, they lead to mutations or wider genome aberrations that threaten cell viability. To counter such threats, life has evolved the DNA-damage response (DDR), to detect DNA damage, signal its presence and mediate its repair. DDR events impact on many cellular processes and, crucially, prevent diverse human diseases that include cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, immune-deficiencies and premature ageing. While much progress has been made in identifying DDR proteins, much remains to be learned about the molecular and cellular functions that they control. Furthermore, the frequent reporting of new DDR proteins in the literature suggests that many others await identification. The main goals for the proposed research are to: identify important new DDR-proteins and DDR-modulators, particularly those responding to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs); provide mechanistic insights into how these proteins function; and determine how DDR events are affected by chromatin structure, by molecular chaperones and components of the Ubiquitin and Sumo systems. To achieve these ends, we will use molecular biology, biochemical, cell-biology and molecular genetics approaches, including synthetic-lethal and phenotypic-suppression screening methods in human cells and in the nematode worm. This work will not only be of academic importance, but will also indicate how DDR dysfunction can cause human disease and how such diseases might be better diagnosed and treated.
The prime objective for every life form is to deliver its genetic material, intact, to the next generation. Each human cell receives tens-of-thousands of DNA lesions per day. These lesions can block genome replication and transcription, and if not repaired or repaired incorrectly, they lead to mutations or wider genome aberrations that threaten cell viability. To counter such threats, life has evolved the DNA-damage response (DDR), to detect DNA damage, signal its presence and mediate its repair. DDR events impact on many cellular processes and, crucially, prevent diverse human diseases that include cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, immune-deficiencies and premature ageing. While much progress has been made in identifying DDR proteins, much remains to be learned about the molecular and cellular functions that they control. Furthermore, the frequent reporting of new DDR proteins in the literature suggests that many others await identification. The main goals for the proposed research are to: identify important new DDR-proteins and DDR-modulators, particularly those responding to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs); provide mechanistic insights into how these proteins function; and determine how DDR events are affected by chromatin structure, by molecular chaperones and components of the Ubiquitin and Sumo systems. To achieve these ends, we will use molecular biology, biochemical, cell-biology and molecular genetics approaches, including synthetic-lethal and phenotypic-suppression screening methods in human cells and in the nematode worm. This work will not only be of academic importance, but will also indicate how DDR dysfunction can cause human disease and how such diseases might be better diagnosed and treated.
Project acronym DISENTANGLE
Project Untangling the Bacterial Chromosome: Condensin's Role in Sister Chromosome Separation and its Mechanisms
Researcher (PI) Stephan Gruber
Summary A prerequisite for chromosome segregation in all living organisms is the topological unlinking of sister DNA molecules, called DNA decatenation. Decatenation is performed by DNA topoisomerases that work by transiently breaking strand(s) in one DNA double helix and passing another double helix through the temporarily created gate. How DNA topoisomerases manage to recognize linkages between sister DNA molecules and how they promote decatenation of sister chromatids (but not catenation) is still largely unknown. The driving hypothesis of this project is that condensin promotes chromosome decatenation by guiding the unlinking activity of DNA topoisomerases. Condensin is a member of the family of SMC (Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes) protein complexes that is conserved from bacteria to humans. It forms large, ring-like structures that bind to and organize chromosomes. Efficient separation of sister chromosomes in the bacterium B. subtilis depends on the condensin complex. However, so far the precise role of condensin in chromosome segregation and its mechanisms are unclear. To test our hypothesis, we will establish a minichromosome in bacteria that segregates in a condensin-dependent manner and measure its decatenation in vivo in the presence and absence of condensin. We will investigate the mechanism by which condensin organizes DNA within the (mini-)chromosome using techniques like chromosome conformation capture (3C) and electron microscopy. Finally, we will attempt to reconstitute for the first time the entrapment of DNA double helices by ring-like SMC protein complexes using purified components. Our results will be pivotal for understanding the action of SMC proteins in general with important implications in the separation and segregation of chromosomes in bacteria, the shaping of mitotic chromosomes and the resolution of sister chromatids during mitosis in eukaryotes.
A prerequisite for chromosome segregation in all living organisms is the topological unlinking of sister DNA molecules, called DNA decatenation. Decatenation is performed by DNA topoisomerases that work by transiently breaking strand(s) in one DNA double helix and passing another double helix through the temporarily created gate. How DNA topoisomerases manage to recognize linkages between sister DNA molecules and how they promote decatenation of sister chromatids (but not catenation) is still largely unknown. The driving hypothesis of this project is that condensin promotes chromosome decatenation by guiding the unlinking activity of DNA topoisomerases. Condensin is a member of the family of SMC (Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes) protein complexes that is conserved from bacteria to humans. It forms large, ring-like structures that bind to and organize chromosomes. Efficient separation of sister chromosomes in the bacterium B. subtilis depends on the condensin complex. However, so far the precise role of condensin in chromosome segregation and its mechanisms are unclear. To test our hypothesis, we will establish a minichromosome in bacteria that segregates in a condensin-dependent manner and measure its decatenation in vivo in the presence and absence of condensin. We will investigate the mechanism by which condensin organizes DNA within the (mini-)chromosome using techniques like chromosome conformation capture (3C) and electron microscopy. Finally, we will attempt to reconstitute for the first time the entrapment of DNA double helices by ring-like SMC protein complexes using purified components. Our results will be pivotal for understanding the action of SMC proteins in general with important implications in the separation and segregation of chromosomes in bacteria, the shaping of mitotic chromosomes and the resolution of sister chromatids during mitosis in eukaryotes.
Project acronym DNA ORIGAMI DEVICES
Project Single-molecule studies of protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, enabled by DNA origami
Researcher (PI) Hendrik Dietz
Host Institution (HI) TECHNISCHE UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Summary Adhesive interactions between macromolecules are ubiquitously found in biology. Regulatory processes in biology depend on temporary physical inter-biomolecular interactions whose strengths are regulated by the internal state of the cell. Obtaining quantitative insight the dynamic strength of interactions between biomolecules has remained a difficult task. Single-molecule approaches can provide detailed insight into intra-molecular interactions in biomolecules. Yet, protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions have remained largely inaccessible. We propose to enable the single-molecule study of protein and protein-DNA interactions by taking advantage of the fine positional control afforded by DNA origami to overcome critical experimental challenges. As a first case study we plan to employ the DNA origami devices to study the single-molecule mechanics protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions that are relevant in the regulation of the galactose metabolism in yeast. We also seek to take steps towards a high-throughput single-molecule protein-DNA and protein-protein interaction assay to open access to a quantitative and combinatorial study of many different inter-macromolecular interactions, as well as to study the effects exerted by additional inhibiting or activating ligands. The proposed project will open up novel opportunities for a systematic study of macromolecular interactions in biology and is likely to deepen our understanding of regulatory processes in biology. Lessons that will be learned may suggest new ways to the rational design or identification of compounds that can prevent disease-causing interactions.
Adhesive interactions between macromolecules are ubiquitously found in biology. Regulatory processes in biology depend on temporary physical inter-biomolecular interactions whose strengths are regulated by the internal state of the cell. Obtaining quantitative insight the dynamic strength of interactions between biomolecules has remained a difficult task. Single-molecule approaches can provide detailed insight into intra-molecular interactions in biomolecules. Yet, protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions have remained largely inaccessible. We propose to enable the single-molecule study of protein and protein-DNA interactions by taking advantage of the fine positional control afforded by DNA origami to overcome critical experimental challenges. As a first case study we plan to employ the DNA origami devices to study the single-molecule mechanics protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions that are relevant in the regulation of the galactose metabolism in yeast. We also seek to take steps towards a high-throughput single-molecule protein-DNA and protein-protein interaction assay to open access to a quantitative and combinatorial study of many different inter-macromolecular interactions, as well as to study the effects exerted by additional inhibiting or activating ligands. The proposed project will open up novel opportunities for a systematic study of macromolecular interactions in biology and is likely to deepen our understanding of regulatory processes in biology. Lessons that will be learned may suggest new ways to the rational design or identification of compounds that can prevent disease-causing interactions.
Project acronym DNAMETRY
Project DNA based nanometry: Exploring chromatin structure and molecular motors
Researcher (PI) Ralf Seidel
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET LEIPZIG
Summary DNA metabolism is governed by a delicate balance between compacting the stored genetic information while simultaneously ensuring a highly dynamically access to it. This interdisciplinary project aims (i) to understand the mechanics and dynamics of chromatin as well as the mechanism of enzymes involved in DNA metabolism on a molecular level and (ii) to develop new nanometric tools based on optical methods and 3D DNA nanostructures that allow addressing new experimental questions. Within the research project novel nanoscopic detection assays based on the combination of magnetic tweezers and optical methods shall be developed, such as ultra-fast torque spectroscopy and combined FRET-force spectroscopy. Our single-molecule assays shall be applied to study the material properties of self-assembled 3D DNA nanostructures, which shall then be used to set up improved high resolution single-molecule assays. These technological improvements will become key to obtain insight into structure and dynamics of in vitro reconstituted chromatin as response to external mechanical stress but also into the operation of molecular motors that themselves generate forces and torques on DNA and chromatin. The main goal of the project is to use nanotechnological tools to understand design principles of biomolecules, biomaterials and biological motors, which in turn shall be used to develop smarter nanotools and functional elements.
DNA metabolism is governed by a delicate balance between compacting the stored genetic information while simultaneously ensuring a highly dynamically access to it. This interdisciplinary project aims (i) to understand the mechanics and dynamics of chromatin as well as the mechanism of enzymes involved in DNA metabolism on a molecular level and (ii) to develop new nanometric tools based on optical methods and 3D DNA nanostructures that allow addressing new experimental questions. Within the research project novel nanoscopic detection assays based on the combination of magnetic tweezers and optical methods shall be developed, such as ultra-fast torque spectroscopy and combined FRET-force spectroscopy. Our single-molecule assays shall be applied to study the material properties of self-assembled 3D DNA nanostructures, which shall then be used to set up improved high resolution single-molecule assays. These technological improvements will become key to obtain insight into structure and dynamics of in vitro reconstituted chromatin as response to external mechanical stress but also into the operation of molecular motors that themselves generate forces and torques on DNA and chromatin. The main goal of the project is to use nanotechnological tools to understand design principles of biomolecules, biomaterials and biological motors, which in turn shall be used to develop smarter nanotools and functional elements.
Project acronym EPIGENOME
Project Understanding epigenetic mechanisms of complex genome editing in eukaryotes
Researcher (PI) Mariusz Nowacki
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET BERN
Summary The scientific goal of this proposal is to contribute to our understanding of RNA-mediated epigenetic mechanisms of genome regulation in eukaryotes. Choosing ciliated protozoa as model organisms gives a wonderful opportunity to study the incredibly complex epigenetic mechanism of programming large-scale developmental rearrangements of the genome. This involves extensive rearrangements of the germline DNA, including elimination of up to 95% of the genome. The massive DNA rearrangement makes ciliates the perfect model organism to study this aspect of germline-soma differentiation. This process is proposed to be regulated by an RNA-mediated homology-dependent comparison of the germline and somatic genomes. Ciliate's genomic subtraction is one of the most fascinating examples of the use of RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation, and of a specialized RNA interference pathway, to convey non-Mendelian inheritance in eukaryotes. The 'genome scanning' model raises many interesting questions, which are also relevant to other RNA-mediated regulation systems. One of the most intriguing is a 'thermodynamic' problem: the model assumes that a very complex population of small RNAs representing the entire germline genome can be compared to longer transcripts representing the entire rearranged maternal genome, resulting in the efficient selection of germline-specific scnRNAs, which are able to target DNA deletions in the developing nucleus. How is it possible that the truly enormous number of pairing interactions implied can occur in such a short time, just a few hours? RNA-RNA pairing interactions would probably have to be assisted by a dedicated molecular machinery. This proposal focuses on characterizing proteins and RNAs that can orchestrate the massive genome rearrangements in ciliates.
The scientific goal of this proposal is to contribute to our understanding of RNA-mediated epigenetic mechanisms of genome regulation in eukaryotes. Choosing ciliated protozoa as model organisms gives a wonderful opportunity to study the incredibly complex epigenetic mechanism of programming large-scale developmental rearrangements of the genome. This involves extensive rearrangements of the germline DNA, including elimination of up to 95% of the genome. The massive DNA rearrangement makes ciliates the perfect model organism to study this aspect of germline-soma differentiation. This process is proposed to be regulated by an RNA-mediated homology-dependent comparison of the germline and somatic genomes. Ciliate's genomic subtraction is one of the most fascinating examples of the use of RNA-mediated epigenetic regulation, and of a specialized RNA interference pathway, to convey non-Mendelian inheritance in eukaryotes. The 'genome scanning' model raises many interesting questions, which are also relevant to other RNA-mediated regulation systems. One of the most intriguing is a 'thermodynamic' problem: the model assumes that a very complex population of small RNAs representing the entire germline genome can be compared to longer transcripts representing the entire rearranged maternal genome, resulting in the efficient selection of germline-specific scnRNAs, which are able to target DNA deletions in the developing nucleus. How is it possible that the truly enormous number of pairing interactions implied can occur in such a short time, just a few hours? RNA-RNA pairing interactions would probably have to be assisted by a dedicated molecular machinery. This proposal focuses on characterizing proteins and RNAs that can orchestrate the massive genome rearrangements in ciliates.


From promising to pay employees before the 10th of the month to ensuring the loss-making transport body is merged with the BMC, the ruling Shiv Sena found a way to end the workers' strike, on Monday — but only temporarily.
But there was still no concrete measures discussed to reform BEST and save it from the crippling debts it faces. Experts said the BEST bus service will continue to be in trouble.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray assured the unions he will ensure salaries before the 10th of the month and also start within a week the process of merging BEST's budget with the BMC's to end the financial crisis. After Thackeray's assurance, the unions ended their 16-hour strike.
But now, questions are being raised about how the authorities would keep up this promise.
BEST ferries 29 lakh commuters a day on 504 routes. But decades of neglect has the century-old transport body facing its worst-ever financial crisis, with cumulative losses crossing Rs2,100 crore. BEST does not have money to disburse salaries on time and was even forced to drop a plan of buying 303 new buses.
As a way out, the BEST political leadership had demanded a Rs2,000-crore bailout package, but BMC commissioner Ajoy Mehta refused to give funds until BEST accepted reforms suggested by the BMC. "There is no denying BEST employees must be paid salaries and buses should run for Mumbaites. But they should run effectively," Mehta said. He suggested reforms such as wet-leasing buying buses (leasing with drivers), reworking fares, shutting down the AC buses and running mini services. Mehta said these reforms could help BEST save more than Rs700 crore every year.
Transport experts agreed, but pointed out that while merging BEST's budget with BMC will end financial problems, it won't be enough to woe back passengers until operations are overhauled and the service is made better.
"BEST has resolved the labour issue, but the root cause — of losing passengers — has not been addressed. The passengers won't return to BEST buses till it improves efficiency, speed and punctuality" said AV Shenoy, a transport experts. Shenoy suggested the need to appoint a consultant to study and suggest a total revival plan for BEST.
Experts fear the city will continue to suffer if authorities ignored reforming BEST's services.
Just days before the BEST strike, HT, in a four-part series, highlighted the crisis at BEST (Mumbai's second-largest mass transport system), why it needed to be saved and the possible solutions. Experts suggested several solutions such as running small AC buses, introducing dedicated bus lanes, lowering fares and restructuring the BEST committee to save the iconic service and help it increase revenue.


Toddlers are God's biggest practical joke on mankind. I mean, seriously, what other creature takes delight in hurling every single meal you make them on the floor, or hiding their dirty nappies in your bed?
Here are the top nine weirdest 'toddler moments', all complete craziness to us, but to them, perfectly sensible choices.
1. If you see an open door, make a break-neck run towards it. Freeeeedom.
2. If you find an opportunity to sneak away and ditch your nappy so you can run around naked, do it. Always do it.
3. If your mother splits a slice of watermelon, a piece of cake or anything else she happens to be eating and gives you some, tantrum until you get the piece she's holding. It must be better, right?
Every mum has a horror poo story, but can you top mine?
4. If you see an adult bending over to pick something up, immediately jump on their back with a squeal of delight and demand horsey rides.
5. Baby gate momentarily unlatched? It's finally time for that joy ride down the stairs!
6. If you spot some bare tummy exposed on the closest adult, make a dive for it and blow some raspberries.
7. Not getting enough attention? Find something you're not allowed to eat (a small piece of plastic, a gumnut or a bottle lid), put it in your mouth and show the nearest adult, before turning around and running away in glee. Just watch how quickly they'll drop whatever they're doing then!
Still need attention? Just steal your mother's phone and hold it over the toilet bowl!
8. If you just need to check EXACTLY how much toilet paper is left on that roll, you'd better unspool all of it. All over the floor. And wrap yourself in it.
9. No matter how much you love the bath, and how many times mum has explained that removing the plug means the water drains out and bath time is over, you still pull out that plug anyway. Every time.


We had an editorial meeting of the entire staff to discuss the future, or lack of it. Editors and contributors such as Czar Donic, Bernard Shaw, Arthur Schopenhauer, Papa Yaga, Honest Charlie, Ellis Dea, Tsar Donic, and others sat at the table. In the center was the most beautiful chocolate cake you've ever seen in your entire life. That cake was really wonderful, believe you me.
That pretty much ended the discussion, especially since Arthur began to show signs of irritation and nobody wanted to let him go on about the subject.
Eventually, things led to the talk of impeachment. It is pretty clear that such a step would have to be started by congress, with a majority of Republicans, and that was considered unlikely so long as Trump was likely to sign anything they finally sent them. He likes signing things anyway, no matter what they mean. If something happened, abruptly, we would get Pence, the Ryan, then Hatch, then Tillerson, and so on down the way until perhaps things would wind up with Betsy De Voss as President. So, something had to be done.
Additionally, after the Vice President, comes the Speaker of the House (Paul Ryan), then the President pro temp of the Senate (Orrin Hatch of Utahahah), and then the Secretary of state and so on dawn the cabinet. However, section 4 has never been invoked, although the other sections have been needed. Mike Pence could conspire with other member of the cabinet, and then send a letter to Ryan and Hatch. After that, things get hairy, but they are spelled out and all you need to do is read and imagine. It could happen.
The decision was made to talk about impeachment, obviously, with a slight objection from Papa Yaga, and we promised to put an explanation of Russsia at the end. He agreed, and thus the discussion.
We need to review the election. Bernie Sanders was very popular and had great enthusiastic support, both from regular Democrats and from independents. Many who were Obama voters, and some who later voted for Trump, were amongst his supporters. However, the party was seen as having been bought by corporate interests, and Hillary's ties to Wall Street were well known. Her long association with corporate interests represented everything that had turned off many voters, anger some, and led many others simply not to participate. It is still clear that the party is unwilling to be the party of the lower and middle classes, the unions, teachers, and workers, and instead does what it can to support the corporate world.
The only worse force is the Republican Party. As it stands today, it is not only highly influenced by corporate interests, but those very corporate interests have been appointed to Presidential Cabinet positions. In other words, Democrats may have served corporate interests, Republican are corporate interests. This is what we call a two party system. Trump fooled enough people by not sounding corporate, that is the only difference.
He wants to provide Tax reform. More precisely, he wishes to take 800 billion dollars away from Medicaid and give it to corporations in the form of tax cuts. He will try to undermine and remove any and all of the "New Deal" and any legislation passed since that helped the lower and middle classes. There is no doubt.
So what does this have to do with impeachment? Simply this: it is necessary to keep the Republican Party, the majority party in the House, preoccupied with this and other issues until a midterm election can allow enough opposition party members to be elected to stop some of this attack on people.
Blame the Russians for interfering? Haven't we gone over this enough? First, we know there is no direct evidence that they did the hack. Beyond that, who knows? We do know that we constantly interfere in other people's elections and governments, even overturning them. There is no reason to doubt that they adopted our practice. It is the job of our own center-intelligence folks to look out for that.
Trump said "I love Wikileaks!" He encouraged them to look for Hilary's e-mails. And we don't care about them anyway. If Donald can share intelligence openly with the Russians, why can't she have her own e-mail system? And who cares? She is over with and the only thing that is now disturbing about he is that she wants to be considered part of the "resistance". That is worthy or resistance right there.
The Russians have hacked into our "Democracy" (forget the real definition of "Democracy"
Trump and his team worked with them on this.
Lots of money went to Russia and then much gets kicked back to Trump.
Flynn told the Russians that they were going to life sanctions when Trump becomes President.
Flynn got paid by Turkey (his guys in suits attacks peaceful demonstrations in D.C. and Erdogan is now attacking the D.C. Police force for defending the demonstrators).
Kushner gets payoffs from Russia (remember, Russia = Bad Guys).
Trump fired Comey, head of FBI, because he investigated all this.
People involved with Trump and Russia are all taking the 5th which means they are guilty – Trump says so.
All republicans seem to want people to die of existing conditions.
People will loose their disability payments.
Food Stamps will be cut in half or more.
They will soon go after Medicare, Social Security, and anything else that helps people.
Well, that's about it. It has been very tiring to watch this happening. We have had it.


i don't know what you're talking about. i remember specifically that one of the things i thought when i started to read your blog was that the way you wrote was NOT conversational. I mean, once in a while you get the "double-you tee eff" but generally, i find that your sentences are well structured and your tone and style actually more formal than conversational... is it just me? maybe i have a low standard. haha.
"It's like trying to force Niagara Falls through a straw held up by a cow trying to balance on an exercise ball."
Conversational? No like way! You like use like the like most like formal like blog like diction like I like have like ever like seen. Like.
And like the show/hide comments thing doesn't seem to like be working for me. It's opening a like popup window like again.
It's like all your fault. You like told me about how my blog was like redirecting you to like the comments pop-up page and it was like Blogger's fault. So what I do is have it like pop-up the first time to like authenticate you, and then like, the rest of the times it like does the show/hide thing. I like don't have a better solution right now.
Do I like really say "like" a lot? Like, really?
you are not conversational in your blog. well i guess you talk like this in real life too :P but the rest of us dont. ok, maybe it's just me. i dont. dud.
thought about this a bit more. maybe you don't feel like you are disseminating useful information via your academic papers? or maybe you just don't have the same motivation for fame, like the attention that you got for that alarm clock post... create a Digg or delicious popular for academic papers.
It's not excessive. Its like just something that is like thrown in there every like now and then. Like you are speaking.
The show/hide thing should work the way it used to Dammit! Why do they have to change things all the time that work perfectly fine???


There are few hairstyles more versatile and easy than a fast bun or a top-knot. As easy as it is to just throw your hair up and go, sometimes you want to look a bit more polished without adding too much time to your morning. For exactly that reason, we are in love with this simple DIY Hair Bun Pin. We love how it can transform even a messy bun or a simple ballerina bun into a cute pinned up hairstyle.
For our hair bun pin we decided to go with classic chiffon flowers and a beautiful white applique, thinking of a possible DIY wedding up-do or any light, summery look, but by simply swapping out the flowers or the color of the applique, we can see this easily taking on a dramatic night look. This DIY up-do bun accessory works great for any age – There are endless options with this no fuss hair accessory!
Thread your elastic through the teeth on one side of the hair comb and tie a tight knot at the base.
Hold the tail of your elastic with the base of the hair comb, so that as you wrap the base it will be covered by the wrapped elastic. Tightly wrap the elastic around the base of the comb, feeding the elastic through approximately every other tooth of the comb.
Once you have reached the end, tie another tight knot and secure the tail of the knot in place with hot glue, using the tail to cover any exposed metal on the base of comb.
Cut a large felt circle in half. Align the straight edges of the felt with the base of the hair comb, with the straight edges of the felt lined up with bottom of the comb. The curved side of the felt will go up and away from the comb, forming a 90 degree angle, so the flowers and applique will sit up and off the head.
Once you have adhered both halves of the felt circle to the comb, add glue to the felt circles and glue your flowers to the front.
Add your applique over the flowers, securing with more hot glue. Check the back to make sure that everything has been securely attached.
As easy as it was to assemble this DIY Hair Bun Pin, it is even easier to learn how to use a bun pin. The teeth of the hair comb will slide right under your bun and hang onto the hair there. It really doesn't get easier than that! Instantly, you are ready for a special event or a night on the town!


Business System Limited has thrown its support behind the Zone A English Speech Competition 2018.
The company did this with a sponsorship to the tune of $4,000.
A statement from B.S.L. highlighted that the sponsorship included three trophies for the first, second and third place winners, 10 hampers for all participating schools, 10 rice cookers, 10 electric kettles and stationary packages/B.S.L. vouchers.
The 10 colleges that participated are Samoa College, Lepa and Lotofaga College, Leififi College, Aleipata College, Anoamaa College, Avele College, Vaimauga College, Palalaua College,Falealii College and Papauta College.
Samoa College scooped first place, Leifiifi College/Anoamaa College took second place and Vaimauga College was in third place.
Anoamaa College Principal, Tuvale Leau Mulinuu, on behalf of all the schools thanked B.S.L. for their ongoing educational support.
B.S.L. Credit Sales Manager, Pekina, in the statement said B.S.L. will always be ready to support any event that is organised by the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture.


text:
John Brydges may refer to:

 John Brydges, 1st Baron Chandos (1492–1557), English courtier, member of parliament and peer
 John Brydges, Marquess of Carnarvon (1703–1727), British member of parliament

See also
John Bridges (disambiguation)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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text:
JACEN Vol.5 No.1 B , April 2016
Perceptions of Rice Farmers towards Production Constraints: Case Study of Niger State of Nigeria and Hainan of China
Ahmed Abdul-Gafar1,2, Shiwei Xu1*, Wen Yu1
1 Agricultural Information Institute, Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China.
2 Partnership and Linkages, Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Abuja, Nigeria.
Abstract: Rice yield is still low in Nigeria despite the ecological advantages. Several challenges has been traced it production. The study intend to investigate if other rice producing nations are faced with similar challenges and at what magnitude and more importantly, what can be learn to improve the rice yield in Nigeria. Based on 2013/2014 survey, a total sample of 400 famers were randomly interviewed; 164 from Niger State of Nigeria and 236 from Hainan province of China. The study collate the perception of farmers to rice production constraints categorized into biotic, abiotic and socioeconomics. Biplot analysis was employed to examine multivariate pattern of their perceptions towards production constraints. The multivariate technique simultaneously displaying different yield levels and factor constraints in data matrix providing the inter-unit distances, variance and correlations of variables. According to the study, Niger state farmers identified socioeconomic constraint as the major factors to production and attributed it to lack of or insufficient investment while the Hainan farmers majorly identified abiotic constraints. The study also indicated that great potential remain to further improve rice yield in both regions especially in Nigeria given the appropriate investment on essential inputs. This study is of great use to extension officers more so, given the investment in Africa, policy makers take advantage of the bilateral and multilateral relationship to invest ease transfer of agricultural information and technologies between or among partners.
Keywords: Rice Farmers, Production Constraints, Biplot Analysis, Niger State, Hainan Province
Global rice production is mostly concentrated in Asia as it's the primary staple food for most of the populace in the region, especially the rural area. With about 6% of global rice consumption, Africa accounts for about 4% of world production making the continent the second largest consuming and producing region. The increase in the demand for rice in Africa is majorly attributed to increase in income and population especially in West Africa. Unlike Asia, Africa's rice production is far less than the demand because of some production constraints. These constraints affect rice yield and it differs between countries depending on the seed variety, irrigation system, use of fertilizer and pesticides, water quality, climate and weather and in whole crop management (GRiSP 2013) [1]. Among the major producing countries, rice yield in Africa is still below world's average (4.3 MT), with more than half of West African countries having less than 2MT per hectare from 2008 to 2014. The Green Revolution has in a long way helped the Asian countries improve their rice productivity (USITC 2015) [2]. The quick adoption of several yield-improving technologies. Low productive countries are zealous to improve rice yield but majorly faced with improper crop management practices even with the presence of better seed variety. Lack of adequate extension services to assist rice farmers improve their crop management is one of the major barrier to improving productivity especially in West Africa. Another is as stipulated by Eponou (1993) [3] is that farming system from different regions are diverse and both agro-ecologically and sociologically challenged particularly in the developing countries. Hence, curbing the partnership and linkages problems relating to the difference in the nature of farming system by technology system for easing the transfer of agricultural technology and information is paramount.
This research intend to investigate and measure the production constraints faced by farmers and identify potential flexibility within which their farming systems can adopt changes from the view of two study areas. In order to fulfill these objectives, questions such as: what are the major factors that constrain rice yield? Ceteris paribus is the impact of these constraints largely/fairly different or similarly between the regions? And how are the natural, sociopolitical environment favoring the farmers? The goal here is to identify and provide potential strategies for partnering and linking agricultural technology and information, also providing a different and broader platform to extension offices on ways to combating production constraints.
2. Study Area
Niger State as the case study is chosen base on her ecological advantage of rice farming system (rain-fed upland and rain-fed lowland and irrigation) and natural water availability and as one of the leading rice producing states in Nigeria. Hainan province of China was purposely selected to be compared with Niger state on the bases of some common climate and major crops similarities shared between the two locations. Therefore, two-phase survey was conducted; one in Africa, Nigeria and the other in Asia, China.
2.1. Niger State, Nigeria
Location: Nigeria is located at the tropical zone of West African along the Atlantic Ocean's Gulf of Guinea lying between latitude 40 and 140˚ north of the equator and longitude 30 and 1400 east of the Greenwich Meridian. Niger State is located at the Guinea Savanna vegetation zone in the north central part of Nigeria, lying between Latitude 8˚22'N and 11˚30'N and Longitude 3˚30'N and 7˚20'E; and occupies land area of about 76,363 km2 of which 25% are water bodies. The state marks about 9% of the total land area in Nigeria, ranking the state as the largest in the country Figure 1(a) depicts the location and surveyed Local Government Areas.
Climate: Niger state experiences two seasons, the rainy (April to October) and dry season (November to March). The rainy season lasts for about 150 days in the Northern parts and about 120 days in the Southern parts of the State. The rains start at late April and ends in October with its peak in July and an annual rainfall ranging between 1100 to 1600 mm with mean relative humidity ranging between 60% in January to February and 80% between June to September. The average monthly maximum temperature (35˚C - 360˚C) is recorded between March and June, while the minimum (20˚C - 210˚C) is usually between December and January. (Niger state facts and figures, 2012).
Rice production takes place in all the ecological zones in Nigeria and comparatively the middle belt region has advantage over other regions. Niger state is located at the Middle-belt region and traditionally known as a rice growing area (Erenstein and Lancon 2003) [4]. Niger state contributes about 16% of the national rice produced in the country. It is the second largest rice producing states in country after Kaduna state 19.63% (NBS, 2013) [5]. One of the major ecological problems hindering the rice sub-sector in the state is flooding during the rainy season, drought and bush burning during the dry season. Niger state rice yield estimate is about 2.3 metric ton per hectare although varies largely between farmers.
(a) (b)
Figure 1. (a) Map-Niger state, Nigeria; (b) Map-Hainan, China.
2.2. Hainan Province, China
Location: Hainan province is an island located at the extreme south of China. It is located in 180˚10' - 200˚10'N and 1080˚37' - 1110˚03'E covering land area of about 35.4 thousand square kilometers and has maritime area of about 2 million square kilometers ranking the province as the 28th compare to other provinces in China. Figure 1(b) depicts the location of Hainan and the surveyed counties.
Climate: Hainan province belongs to tropical monsoon marine climate with a distinct dry and rainy/wet season. The dry season (during winter and spring) starts from January to May with average temperature (22˚C) during the day but colder during the night. The rainy season (during summer and autumn) begins from June and ends in November with an average temperature of 17˚C at night and about 39˚C during the day. The annual average temperature is 22.5˚C - 25.6˚C; the annual sunshine duration is 1780 - 2600 hours; the total solar radiation quantity is 4500 - 5800 MJ/M2. The annual rainfall is 1500 - 2500 mm (about 1000 mm for coastal areas in the west part). Major flooding occurs due to the typhoons and they can cause many problems for the local residents.
Rice production in Hainan province is commonly on landscapes. Rice is grown virtually in all the seasons and this makes the island a favorite site for seed companies for seed production. China's National Hybrid Rice R & D Centre also has a station based near Sanya.
3. Methodology
3.1. Selection Procedure and Sample Size
Since the survey was based on rice production, the area where rice is produced was purposely selected and then a random selection procedure was carried out in each area. In Niger State five local governments were randomly selected on the basis of rice production and the share of land size. The local government areas include Borgu (western part of Niger state), Bosso, Katcha, Lavun and Wushishi local government. From a simple random selection, a total of 164 household were interviewed in the state. Two villages were selected in Borgu local government and one village from the other local government areas because of the large area and number of farmer in Borgu. In total six villages was covered. Moreover, in cases where applicable information is unavailable an alternative sources of secondary data such as National Bureau of Statistic (NBS), Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), United State Department of Agriculture (USDA), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), World Bank, and Research Institutes and Government parastatals were employed.
In Hainan however, three counties were selected among which include Lingao (North-west of the province), Chengmai (Central), and Wanning (South-east). Three towns was selected from each county among which three villages were selected and lastly, a total of 236 farmers were randomly select and interviewed. Secondary data from multinational, national and provincial database were also used as an alternative source where applicable.
3.2. Questionnaire Development
The questionnaire was constructed in English, translated into Chinese in Agricultural Information Institute (AII) of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Science (CAAS), Beijing. The objectives of the survey are guided by the primary objectives of this study using the questionnaire. The questionnaire is divided into 5 parts: first part consist of questions on the socioeconomic status of the farmers such as the age, gender, years of education, household size; the second part consist of questions on production inputs such as the quantity/cost of fertilizer, labour, herbicide, pesticide and equipment/machines and seed variety; the third part consists of the output information such as quantity produced, quantity for food, seed or feed; fourth and fifth part include land utilization and production constraints.
3.3. Data Processing and Method of Analysis
Consequent upon the completion of the survey, the data input began in Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and later completed in CAAS, China. EpiData software was use for data entry which afterward was transferred to STATA software for data generation and analysis. The unit to measure an area/field as well as the unit used for weighing agricultural products differs from country to country. For example in Nigeria, acre and hectares (ha) are the common units of measuring farm land while in China mu (i.e. 15 mu equals to 1 hectare). In Nigeria the unit used for weighing produce is kilogram (kg), while in China grams (g) called "jin" in the local language (Mandarin). In this thesis all the units of measurement are converted into hectares and kilograms or tons.
There are several methods to analyzing perception, using simple statistical descriptive tools such as frequency and percentile (Oluwayomi D. A., 1984; Emechebe et al., 2004; Escalada et al., 2012) [6]-[8], multivariate analytical tools such as (Aerni and Yu 2010; Alarima et al., 2011) [9] [10]. In this study, both simple (tables) and multivariate (biplot) tools are used. Biplot (also referred to as a two-dimensional graph) is multivariate technique of simultaneously displaying observations (samples) and variables of a data matrix graphically; such information includes the inter-unit distances as well as variance and correlations of variables. The prefix "bi" refers to the simultaneous display of both rows and columns of the table, not to a two-dimensionality of the plot. Biplot was first described by Kuno Ruben Gabriel1 and recently extended by Gower and Hand (1996).Kohler and Luniak (2005) [11] [12] summarized the importance of biplot as revealing of clusters, multicollinearity, and multivariate outliers of a dataset, and could also be used to guiding the interpretation of Principal Component Analysis (PCA). In the data matrix, the observations are positioned on rows and the relative variable positioned on columns. Graphically on the other hand an example shown in Figure 2. The marker symbols (points) are displayed for observations and arrows are displayed for variables.
As mentioned above, the dots represent the observations and the arrow represents the variables. In the diagram above there are 12 observations and 7 variables. The length of the arrow approximates the variances of the variables; the longer the arrow the higher the variance and vice versa. The angle between the lines (cosine of the angles) approximates the correlation between the variables; the closer the angle is to 90 or 270 degree, the smaller the correlation. The correlation of 1 or −1 is reflected by an angle of 0 or 180 degree respectively. The distance between two points explains the Euclidean distance the two observations in the matrix space; observations that are closer to each other are then said to have low Euclidean distance and vice versa.
The Euclidean distance is defined as the square root of the sum of the squares of the differences between the corresponding coordinates of the points (dots). Giving an example of a two-dimension Euclidean geometry, the
Figure 2. Biplot representing observations and variables.
Euclidean distance between two points say "a = (ax, ay) and b = (bx, by)" is defined as:
The ratio of the units of the vertical axis and those on the horizontal axis is also referred to as the aspect ratio, and is equal to 1.
3.4. Mathematical Background of Biplot Analysis
The Mathematical background of the biplot formula is summarized below. By using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD)1, the information in say matrix "X" is split into two; a portion related to the observations (i.e. the rows of X) and another portion related to variables (i.e. the column of X matrix).
where Y is n × k, are k × k. the (diagonal data) is known as the eigenvalues. From the SVD, the eigenvalue becomes:
where equal the coordinate for the observations and equals the coordinate of the variables. Let denote as "G" and to be denoted as "H". The scalar Alfa ( ) takes any value between zero and one (i.e. ). Regardless of the value, the equation remains . However,
as G is n × k and H is k × k, all the coordinates have k dimensions. To indicate the quality of the approximation of the information provided by the biplot, the default axis titles (dimension 1 and 2 i.e. x and y axis respectively) indicate the amount of explained variances by the selected dimensions.
4. Result and Discussions
4.1. Farmers' Perception
Farmers' perception can be of a great influence to farm management decision making just as the influence of their economic situation to management decisions. The perception itself is influenced by education, years of experience, special training or extension programs. Several studies have been carried out on farmers' perception of constraints on agricultural production (Oluwayomi D. A., 1984; Emechebe et al., 2004; Sinzogan A.A.C et al., 2004; Ojehomon et al., 2009; Aerni and Yu 2010; Alarima et al., 2011; Atera et al, 2012; Escalada et al., 2012) [7]-[10] [14]-[17]. The perception of farmers has been one of the significant components used to evaluate technological adoption and it feedback, and management efficiency of farmers. Farmers' decision before, during and after the production process are constrained by both on-field and external factors. The comparison of production constraints of the farmers between two distant regions for the sole purpose of promoting agricultural technological and information transfer, the farmers interviewed were asked to rank constraints according to the severity. The constraints are categorized into biotic, abiotic and socioeconomic constraints. The result of how farmer perceive these constraint can be used to determine the knowledge and perception gaps amongst the famers.
4.2. Categorization and Evaluation of Constraints
Farmers were inquired to rank (from 0 to 3) each of the identified constraints according to the degree of occurrence/magnitude hindering production. Zero (0) indicates that such constraints doesn't exist or insignificant to affecting production decisions or output, one (1) indicates constraints as "low", two (2) and three (3) indicating "medium" and "high" respectively.
4.2.1. Biotic Constraints
The biotic constraints consist of constraints associated with living organisms such as plants and animals, this study summarizes the biotic constraints into three, namely weeds, bird/rodents and diseases/insects. In Hainan province, Diseases and pest infestation are considered as the highest biotic threat to rice production. With access and relatively low price of agrochemical, the higher the perceived threat of a farmer to certain constraint the more investment will be put into the input that reduces such threat. Low (2003) [18] and some other multinational organizations also highlighted the overuse of some agrochemicals among the Chinese farmers. In this study, over 50% of the farmers in Hainan perceived pest and diseases threat high while farmers in Niger state majority (about 43%) believe the threat to be low.
4.2.2. Aiotic Constraints
Abiotic as a constraint are those factors that are not traceable to living organisms and majorly infers to the harsh weather and field ecological conditions such as flood, drought, erosion, heat stress and cold, and soil fertility. The abiotic factors were ranked according to the frequency of occurrence and/or damages. Majority (about 30% in Niger state and 31% in Hainan province) ranked the damage of flood to their crop as high. The average response to flood as constraint in both areas is ranked as the highest among the abiotic constraint factors listed above. Other factors (drought, soil fertility, soil erosion, heat stress and cold) showed clearer difference between Niger state and Hainan province. Comparatively, the average perception of Hainan farmers toward rice production constraint caused by abiotic factors is higher than that of farmers in Niger state (Figure 3(b)).
4.2.3. Socioeconomic Constraints
The socioeconomic constraint refers to the high cost and unavailability or difficulties to accessing essential factors of production such as credit, land, labour, seed, fertiliser, mechanisation while the indirect factors includes low market price, transportation cost and poor roads. The socioeconomic constraint also explains the reason why some farmers are unable apply or adopt the recommended management practice necessary to obtain better productivity. In China, the issue of availability or access to factors such as fertiliser, seed, and agrochemicals has been relatively covered; kudos to the Chinese efficient and effective production, dissemination systems and subsidies, farmers can easily purchase essential inputs. The constraints perceived by farmers in Hainan on the socioeconomic factors are majorly on the high cost of the factors. During the interview, Niger state farmersbitterly complained on the unavailability and high cost of fertiliser and other essential inputs (Figure 3(c)). One common cause of this as explained by some of the farmers is the "politicising of fertiliser", in local dialect referred to as "tahkinsiyasa".
The figures above compares the average rankings to each factor constraint by farmers in Niger state and Hainan province. The wider the ring the higher the constraints to rice productivity. The farmers in Niger state con-
(a) (b) (c)
Figure 3. (a)-(c) Average ranking of constraints. (a) Biotic constraints; (b) Abiotic constraints; (c) Socioeconomic constraints.
sidered weed, flood, and all socioeconomic factors excluding labour and seed as the major constraints (on average ranked 2 and above) to rice production. Meanwhile farmers in Hainan province perceived all the factors abiotic constraints (on average ranked 2 and above) as the major constraints. The least ranked constraint was recorded on socioeconomic constraints by the Hainan farmers. In other words, the of efficient seed and fertiliser distribution, the continued government support in providing accessible roads, infrastructures and availability of credit facilities and other essential factors to the rural farmers helped improved rice yield. The survey reveals that the least ranked constraints of the farmers in Niger state are on the abiotic factors excluding flood. Reviewing the results of the survey on the socioeconomic perception of the farmers in Niger state towards rice production, many reasons were discovered as to the poor management of rice production. These setbacks cost not just the farmers but also the entire nation in terms of low efficiency and productivity in agriculture and reduced food security.
4.3. Biplot Analysis
4.3.1. Constraints and Yield Level
This research recognized there are significant perception gap among the different level of yield even within the same region. So the study exploits this by comparing the different yield levels between the two study areas.
The total average yield obtained by the farmers in Niger state and Hainan province are 2.7 and 4.1 MT/ha respectively. Yield varies across different regions and among the farmers. This section intend to identifying and estimating further the constraints among the different levels of each study area. Questions such as "are there any difference in the perception of farmers with better yield between the two regions?" or "does the low yield farmers experience similar fate between the two regions and at what magnitude?" would be answered.
The distribution of rice yield levels and yield gaps for the different yield groups in the two regions are presented in Table 1(a) and Table 1(b) below and then followed by the biplot diagram explaining the interaction of the production constraints with the yield groups of each study area. The yield group was calculated using Hainan yield data since the yield there is higher compare to Niger state.
The denoted yield group Y1/y1, Y2/y2 and Y3/y3 will be used interchangeably with low-yield, medium-yield and high-yield respectively for both regions. To determine the differences or similarities of the constraints among these yield groups, a multivariate biplot analysis was employed. As summarized by Kohler and Luniak (2005) [12], a biplot reveals the clusters of data, multicollinearity, and multivariate outliers of a dataset, and could also be used to guiding the interpretation of Principal Component Analysis (PCA).
Table 1. (a) Descriptive statistics of yield group of Niger state farmers (MT/ha); (b) Descriptive statistics of yield groups of Hainan farmers (MT/ha).
Source: Authors' calculation from survey data 2013/2014.
The biplots below presents 3 observations (yield groups) and 19 variables (the constraints). Using Stata software: Command: biplot weed …road facility, rowover (yield group. The explained variance of Niger state variables of the first component (dimension 1) in Figure 4(a) is about 68% and the second component (about 32%) giving a total explained variance of 1 i.e. 100%, While Figure 4(b) shows that about 70% of the variance is explained by the first component and about 30% explained for second component. The "rowover" distinguishes the yield groups by highlighting plot for each group identified by equal values of constraints.
In Figure 4, the arrows represents the constraints, the longer the length the higher the variance of the constraints among the yield groups and the angle between the lines approximates the correlation between constraints, and the distance between the yield groups approximates the Euclidean distance of any two of the group in the multivariate space of the diagram. From the biplot analysis, the constraints?flood, mechanisation, fertiliser and road facility depicts the highest variation among the yield groups, while the constraint cold depicts the lowest as seen from the length of its arrow. Given the closeness of the lines, there are a strong correlations between/among constraints?cold, agrochemicals and road facility; fertiliser and fund; pest and diseases, and transportation; soil erosion and mechanisation.
In the biplot, most of the constraints concentrates towards the right side where low and medium-yield is obtained. In another words, the farmers that had low and medium-yield perceive more the constraints to yield than the farmers with high-yield. Comparing the yield groups, farmers with high-yield majorly complained on the flood, high cost of labour and low market prices as the than other groups. Majority of the farmers in this group had access to fertiliser, better seed, and agrochemicals than the other two groups, this explains their high yield compared to their counterpart. The farmers with medium-yield on one hand majorly stressed on weed completion with the rice plant, high cost and/or availability of quality agrochemicals, poor road, limited access machine and soil erosion. While on the on the other hand, the farmers with low-yield complained more on inadequate fund to support the farm management processes, higher cost and unavailability of fertiliser, good seed, pest and diseases, drought, soil nutrient deficits and at-stress to rice plant. Most of the socioeconomic constraints lie between the low and medium-yield farmers especially on the low-yield groups.
The biplot (Figure 4(b)) illustrates that the constraints?drought, fertiliser, agrochemical, seed, birds and weed varies greatly among the yield group compared with other constraints. Compared to the biplot diagram of Figure 4(a), the perceive constraints of the different yield groups in Hainan shows low variance. From the above figure, the constraints with the lowest variance include market prices, labour and mechanisation. The correlation between the factor constraints on the other hand, is seen to be stronger among/between?pest, diseases, labour and fund; seed and transportation; fertiliser, agrochemical and cold.
In Figure 4(a), most of the socioeconomic constraints are located in the matric space of the low and high yield group. More of the abiotic constraints factors on the other hand reside near the medium and high-yield group. Comparative to the yield groups of the Hainan farmers, the disparity of the constraints among the relative yield level is minimal as shown in the biplot having many shorter lines. Nevertheless, some differences could be
Figure 4. (a) biplot of rice yield group and constraints to yield (Niger state); (b) biplot of rice yield group and constraints to yield (Hainan province).
seen. The farmers with high-yield dominantly perceive constraint?bird, flood, soil fertility, soil erosion, price of fertiliser and agrochemicals higher than the other two groups. This explains the increase use of fertiliser to increase the nutrient for the rice plant since their perception on the constraints of soil nutrient to better yield is high. With relatively adequate fund and availability of essential input that enhances yield, the higher the farmer perceive the threat of a constraint factor the more the use of these essential inputs regardless of the standard application. In the case of Niger state farmers, unavailability and/or high cost been the foremost problem, thus even though the farmer ranked constraint high, the essential inputs to combat the constraints are scarce or inadequate. The medium-yield group compared to other groups, majorly complained on constraint―weed, drought, cost of seed and farm mechanisation, and lastly the low-yield group stressed on constraint―soil fertility, fund, heat stress on rice plant cost of fertiliser and machine.
Furthermore, the socioeconomic constraints which are ranked highest in Niger state are perceived more by the low-yield farmers. On the contrary, the high-yield group in Hainan perceived more than the other groups. With the availability of essential inputs to enhancing yield, the higher the perception of the constraint to yield the more the farmers apply the input to reduce the impact of the constraints but on another hand, if there is scarcity of these yield enhancing inputs then the above statement would not hold as in the case of some farmers in Niger state. Moreover, the result of the biplot analysis for the two studied areas clearly indicated that there are opportunities for yield improvement and reduction of yield gap by making the essential input available to the farmers more specifically in Niger state.
5. Conclusions and Recommendation
This study measures and analyzed the perception of rice farmers towards three categorized production constraints (namely biotic, abiotic and socioeconomic constraints) of Niger state of Nigeria and Hainan of China. Rice yield of both region was divided into 3 groups (low-yield, medium-yield and high-yield). Biplot analysis was then used to analyse the interaction between the yield groups of regions and the production constraints experienced by the farmers.
The average yield obtained by the farmers in Niger state and Hainan province are 2.7 and 4.1 MT/ha respectively ceteris paribus, rice productivity in Hainan out ways that of Niger state. The study comparatively shows the vivid differences in the abiotic and socioeconomic constraints between the two regions. While the socioeconomic constraint is higher in Niger state, the abiotic constraint record higher in Hainan province. In Niger state, there are larger variations between the low and higher yield farmer than that of Hainan farmers were the variation is minimal. The variations in Niger state are majorly seen in the socioeconomic constraint factors. The Biplot analysis explains that the perceive constraints of the different yield group in Hainan shows low variance while that of Niger state shows higher variance among the three yield groups. In Hainan province, the high and medium-yield group farmers ranked more constraints greater than the farmers with low-yield although with little variance. While in Niger state, the low and medium-yield groups ranked more constraint to yield higher than the farmers with high-yield. The policy implication of the findings in this study indicates that great potential remain to further improve rice yield in both regions. The evidence from the rice farming system in Hainan shows that yield in Nigeria could be substantially higher when the appropriate investment on essential inputs given that the major factor constraint which Nigeria faces (socioeconomic constraints) can be control with the right investment in the sector.
This paper was supported by the CAAS Science and Technology Innovation Project (number: CAAS-ASTIP- 2016-AII), founded by Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences and Technology.
1See Johnson and Wichern (2007) [13] for more details on Single Value Decomposition (SVD).
Cite this paper: Abdul-Gafar, A. , Xu, S. , Yu, W. (2016) Perceptions of Rice Farmers towards Production Constraints: Case Study of Niger State of Nigeria and Hainan of China. Journal of Agricultural Chemistry and Environment, 5, 20-30. doi: 10.4236/jacen.2016.51B004.
[1] GRiSP (2003) Quality Seed Production in Hybrid Rice. Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) Rice Almanac 2013, 52-53, 83-85; Sindhu and Kuma. http://books.irri.org/9789712203008_content.pdf
[2] USITC (2015) Rice: Global Competitiveness of the U.S. Industry. United States International Trade Commission (USITC). https://www.usitc.gov/publications/332/pub4530.pdf
[3] Eponou, T. (1993) Partners in Agricultural Technology: Linking Research and Technology Transfer to Serve Farmers. ISNAR Research Report No. 1, International Service for National Agricultural Research, The Hague.
[4] Erenstein, O. and Lancon, F. (2003) The Nigerian Rice Economy in a Competitive World. Constraints, Opportunities and Strategic Choices. Report of the Final Technical Workshop Held in IITA on August 20-21, 2003.
[5] NBS (2013) Federal Republic of Nigeria. http://nigeria.prognoz.com/en/Map/?7Dt5TDYdnkG4wfwXzAPnSg
[6] Atteh, O.D. (1984) Nigerian Farmers' Perception on Pest and Pesticides‖. Department of Geography, University of Ilorin, Ilorin, Nigeria. Insect Sri. Applic., 5, 213-220.
[7] Emechebe, A.M., Ellis-Jones, J., Schulz, S., Chikoye, D., Douthwaite, B., Kureh, I., Tarawali, G., Hussaini, M.A., Kormawa, P. and Sanni, A. (2004) Farmers' Perception of the Striga Problem and its Control in Northern Nigeria. Expl Agric, 40, 215-232. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S0014479703001601
[8] Escalada, M., Wang, L., Yuan, Q.H., Cai, D.C. and Heong, K.L. (2012) Baseline Survey Report. IRRI, Conserving Arthropod Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Rice Environments of Hainan Island. http://hainanproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Hainan-baseline-survey-report-jan-2-2012.pdf
[9] Aerni, P. and Yu, W. (2010) Empirical Evidence of Stakeholders' Perception on Sustainable Agriculture in China. Proceedings of 2010 Chinese Agricultural Economic Review (CAER), International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) International Annual Conference on Agriculture and Wealth of Nations, 16-17 October 2010, Beijing.
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[11] (1996) Gower and Hand.
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[13] Johnson, R.A. and Wichern, D.W. (2007) Applied Multivariate Statistical Analysis. Sixth Edition, Pearson and Education.
[14] Atteh, O.D. (1984) Nigerian Farmers' Perception on Pest and Pesticides. Department of Geography, University of Ilorin, Ilorin. Insect Sri. Applic., 5, 213-220.
[15] Sinzogan, A.A.C., Van Huis, A., Kossou, D.K., Jiggins, J. and Vodouhè, S. (2004) Farmers' Knowledge and Perception of Cotton Pests and Pest Control Practices in Benin: Results of a Diagnostic Study. NJAS. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s1573-5214(04)80018-6
[16] Ojehomon, V.E.T., Adebayo, S.B., Ogundele, O.O., Okoruwa, V.O., Ajayi, O., Diagne, A. and Ogunlana, O. (2009) Rice Data Systems In Nigeria (National Rice Survey 2009). Building a Rice Data System for Sub-Saharan Africa. Africa Rice, National Bureau of Statistics, National Cereal Re-search Institute, Nigeria Institute for Social and Economic Research (NISER), Department of Agric. Economics, Uni-versity of Ibadan.
[17] Atera, E.A., Itoh, K., Azuma, T. and Ishii, T. (2012) Farmers' Perception and Constraints to the Adoption of Weed Control Options: The Case of Strigaasiatica in Malawi. Journal of Agricultural Science, 4. http://dx.doi.org/10.5539/jas.v4n5p41
[18] Daniel, L. (2003) Crop Farming in China: Technology, Markets, Institutions and the Use of Pesticides. Shaker Verlag Aachen, Institutional Changes in Agriculture and Natural Resources, 17.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Despite the fact that this loony bunch generate their music utilising a strange assemblage of slung together home made instruments the overall effect is totally amazing. Generally combining a mixture of elemental steel band like proliferations with a what could be construed as electronic distortions and percussive sound effects normally generated by synthesiser . But of course, that's not the case, as all of the percussive sounds are the result of cleverly worked "drum rudiments" on kits assembled from washing machines and other weird household items. But of course, any thoughts of such home made instrumentation sounding cumbersome and difficult to control can straight away be dismissed because the tone, pitch and sound consistency of the equipment has been extremely well engineered. So the term' Junk Meal' used by the band to describe their instruments is true in reality but not true in terms of performance.
The CD comprises of ten tracks that generally follow shifting patterns of rhythmic drumming overlaid with modulations of other percussive enterprise. Various electric string like contributions then ebb and flow providing a distinctly melodic edge to the proceedings. Quite fascinating too are the softly pitched vocal arrangements which incorporate some glorious two part backing harmony arrangements. Strangely though such harmonic arrangements are not immediately apparent and only start to filter through with successive plays .The songs, from an English lyrical point of view (well to me anyway) seemingly follow a direction of being quite meaningless but never-the-less are very catchy with some good hooks.
So the overall mesh of percussive contortions entwined with softly styled vocal deliveries form an interesting combination of interesting songs with great appeal particularly in a club type atmosphere.
Summary: An interesting collection of melodic songs set within a percussive ambient setting.


In today's culture where job hunting has actually ended up being tougher as well as tougher and being jobless is so costly, there are many reasons task prospects are progressively turning to resume composing solutions to give them a greater possibility to discover success. With the development of the Internet and accessibility to specialists in all professions, reaching out for professional support is easier than ever. As opposed to attempting to be their own professionals, people are currently a lot more likely to connect to real specialists to ensure that the work is done right the first time.
When your warm water container quits working you call a professional plumbing professional, even though you can possibly repair it yourself. You can browse the web as well as research study exactly how to repair a hot water container, and also you can also pay a few dollars to obtain a detailed standard to assist deal with the tank (I did this and the tank ended up costing twice as much to repair). Nonetheless, as most people do not have the certified skills to take care of a warm water tank they hire a specialist to do the task for them.
The same is true of an expert resume writer or CV writer. Similar to a plumbing technician is educated and also certified to fix your hot water container, a resume writer has the experience as well as abilities to write a resume that will improve your work application.
The hardest element of resume writing is knowing what in fact belongs in the resumes and also what kind of information will make them attract attention. In my past experience as a task recruiter, at least 50% of the prospects for each task shared the very same kind of education as well as abilities. So the question is – what can a candidate do to highlight their resume? This is what a great resume author can do. They have the ability to comprehend what requires to enter into the resume and exactly how to best present the info. Despite exactly how great your education and learning, abilities or experience, if you are incapable to offer this details to a hiring manager, you will certainly have extremely little opportunity of getting the work.
The distinction is HUGE. It is no more good enough to take a seat for 20 minutes, type your name at the top of the resume, list your job history (consisting of a couple of bullet factors regarding your tasks or responsibilities) and also expect to be asked for meetings. It simply does not function by doing this anymore. Not just does your resume need to be 100% totally targeted towards the job you are making an application for, however it likewise needs to be written for that specific task market. An accounting resume is different to a mining resume as well as they both require to be composed accordingly.
Most significantly, highlighting success is the number one guideline of resume writing. An ordinary resume will concentrate excessive on the daily responsibilities as well as responsibilities. These responsibilities are anticipated of the work prospect as well as while they are essential (and also do require to be in the resume), turning these duties right into success is just how to make your resume stand apart. This is what a professional resume writer can do for you!


text:
Q: What is the difference between scala.js vs jscala? There are two tools to compile Scala code right in the JavaScript: Scala.js and JScala.
Both of them look great, and can work with non-trivial Scala code.
What is the technical difference between them?

A: js-scala is a Scala library for generating JavaScript code, while scala.js is a JavaScript backend to the Scala compiler.
scala.js compiles your Scala code into JavaScript code. It is just the usual Scala compiler that takes your Scala source files and produces JavaScript code instead of JVM bytecode.
.scala|  === scalac ===>  | .js
On the other hand, js-scala is a Scala library providing composable JavaScript code generators. You can use them in your usual Scala programs to write JavaScript program generators. Your Scala program is compiled to JVM bytecode using the usual Scala compiler and the execution of this program generates a JavaScript program.
.scala|  === scalac ===>  |.class |  === java ===>  | .js
For further details, I recommend readint blog by one of authors of js-scala http://julien.richard-foy.fr/blog/2013/12/19/js-scala-and-scala-js/

A: Actually there are more than two tools, but Scala.js and JScala are indeed the 2 tools still under active development.
The difference is fundamental: Scala.js is a compiler from Scala to JavaScript, whereas JScala is a macro-based DSL for generating snippets of JavaScript code.
As @Gaurav explained in his answer, Scala.js is the regular Scala compiler, but it emits JavaScript code instead of JVM bytecode. The Scala code you write is never run by a JVM. All your Scala code is translated to JavaScript. For that reason, it supports the entire Scala language, including, e.g., the collections library. This is useful to write the entire client-side as a Scala application.
Using JScala, on the other hand, most of your app (at least everything outside calls to the javascript macro) is still run on a JVM. The macro rewrites the Scala-looking code inside it to the corresponding JavaScript AST (or directly as a code string). Which means that when the JVM executes the code there, the program generates (at runtime) a JavaScript AST/string. This is useful to generate snippets of code to be sent to the client dynamically.
The main decision criterium is thus:

*

*If you want to write the client-side of your Web app as a Scala application, use Scala.js

*If you want to generate snippets of JavaScript code from the server side written in Scala, use JScala

A more elaborate comparison of these two tools is available at http://www.sebnozzi.com/84/scala-to-javascript-comparison/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


I'm working with clients on their beach house in Malibu and thought I'd share a board I put together for their living room. One wall has a large fireplace, the other has a view of the water. This leaves one big wall for their sofa and some art. They had done their research before stopping in, so we were able to pull ideas together really quickly. More details to come.


Here is some C code to calculate the Greatest Common Divisor and the Least Common Multiple of an array of number. I hope you enjoy.
The technique used in the lcm_arr function may be original. I haven't found any similar implementation around the Internet.