Prediction of genetic gains with selection between and within S2 progenies of papaya using the REML/Blup analysis.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi predizer os ganhos genéticos em mamoeiro (Carica papaya) com a seleção dos indivíduos superiores dentro de progênies, por meio da análise REML/Blup. Foram avaliadas 36 progênies S2, oriundas dos híbridos Calimosa e Tainung 1, e duas testemunhas comerciais, no delineamento de blocos ao acaso, com quatro repetições. Os caracteres avaliados foram: altura de planta e do primeiro fruto; diâmetro de caule aos 12 e 18 meses; número de dias requeridos para surgimento do primeiro fruto; número, massa e massa média de frutos comerciais; e número e massa de frutos carpeloides e pentândricos. As magnitudes dos parâmetros genéticos estimados indicaram que a variabilidade presente, para a maioria dos caracteres, possibilita maiores ganhos genéticos se a seleção for praticada em progênies e não por plantas individuais. Para a seleção entre progênies, PROT-268, PROT-74, PROT-55 e PROT-22 foram as mais promissoras, com os maiores ganhos genéticos para os caracteres estudados. Na seleção entre e dentro de progênies, a predição dos ganhos é maior para o aumento da expressividade do número de frutos comerciais e para a redução da expressividade do número de frutos pentândricos.The objective of this work was to predict the genetic gains with selection of superior individuals within papaya (Carica papaya) progenies using the REML/Blup analysis. Thirty-six S2 progenies, originated from the Calimosa and Tainung 1 hybrids, and two commercial control checks were evaluated in a randomized complete block design, with four replicates. The following traits were evaluated: heights of plants and first fruit; stem diameter at 12 and 18 months; number of days required for fruiting; number, mass, and average mass of commercial fruit; and number and mass of carpelloid and pentandric fruit. The magnitudes of the genetic parameters indicated that the variability present in most of the characters allows greater genetic gain if the selection is made at the progeny level, and not in individual plants. For selection among progenies, PROT-268, PROT-74, PROT-55, and PROT-22 were the most promising, with the greatest genetic gain for the studied characters. In the selection among and within progenies, the prediction of the gains is higher for the increase in the expression of the number of commercial fruit and for the decrease in the expression of pentandric fruit

Seleção genômica ampla e novos métodos de melhoramento do milho.

Os objetivos deste trabalho foram verificar a acurácia do método da Seleção Genômica Ampla (GWS) no melhoramento de milho nas condições de estresse nutricional e propor novos métodos de melhoramento baseados em GWS. Foram estimados os dois componentes da eficiência no uso de nitrogênio e de fósforo (eficiência de absorção e de utilização) em 41 combinações híbridas, em dois experimentos, sob baixa e alta disponibilidades de N e P. Para a genotipagem da população de estimação, foram utilizados 80 marcadores microssatélites. As estimativas dos parâmetros genéticos foram obtidas via REML/BLUP, e a predição dos valores genéticos genômicos, via regressão aleatória (Random Regression - RR) aplicada à seleção genômica ampla (RR-BLUP/GWS). Para os caracteres em que a GWS apresentou altos valores de acurácia, essa foi comparada com os métodos de Seleção Recorrente Intra e Interpopulacional. Com o uso da GWS houve aumento significativo na acurácia seletiva e nos ganhos genéticos por unidade de tempo

Genotype-environment-attribute interaction in an advanced cashew population through joint biplot graphical analysis.

This this study investigated genotype x environment x attribute interaction in cashew trees using principal component analysis with multiple data matrices

Optimising selection in full-sib progeny of the cashew.

Título em português: Otimização de seleção em progênies de irmãos completos de cajueiro

First narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves from known pulsars in advanced detector data

Spinning neutron stars asymmetric with respect to their rotation axis are potential sources of continuous gravitational waves for ground-based interferometric detectors. In the case of known pulsars a fully coherent search, based on matched filtering, which uses the position and rotational parameters obtained from electromagnetic observations, can be carried out. Matched filtering maximizes the signalto- noise (SNR) ratio, but a large sensitivity loss is expected in case of even a very small mismatch between the assumed and the true signal parameters. For this reason, narrow-band analysis methods have been developed, allowing a fully coherent search for gravitational waves from known pulsars over a fraction of a hertz and several spin-down values. In this paper we describe a narrow-band search of 11 pulsars using data from Advanced LIGO’s first observing run. Although we have found several initial outliers, further studies show no significant evidence for the presence of a gravitational wave signal. Finally, we have placed upper limits on the signal strain amplitude lower than the spin-down limit for 5 of the 11 targets over the bands searched; in the case of J1813-1749 the spin-down limit has been beaten for the first time. For an additional 3 targets, the median upper limit across the search bands is below the spin-down limit. This is the most sensitive narrow-band search for continuous gravitational waves carried out so far

Comparing ultrastable lasers at 7 × 10−17 fractional frequency instability through a 2220 km optical fibre network

Ultrastable lasers are essential tools in optical frequency metrology enabling unprecedented measurement precision that impacts on fields such as atomic timekeeping, tests of fundamental physics, and geodesy. To characterise an ultrastable laser it needs to be compared with a laser of similar performance, but a suitable system may not be available locally. Here, we report a comparison of two geographically separated lasers, over the longest ever reported metrological optical fibre link network, measuring 2220 km in length, at a state-of-the-art fractional-frequency instability of 7 × 10−17 for averaging times between 30 s and 200 s. The measurements also allow the short-term instability of the complete optical fibre link network to be directly observed without using a loop-back fibre. Based on the characterisation of the noise in the lasers and optical fibre link network over different timescales, we investigate the potential for disseminating ultrastable light to improve the performance of remote optical clocks

GW170104: Observation of a 50-Solar-Mass Binary Black Hole Coalescence at Redshift 0.2

We describe the observation of GW170104, a gravitational-wave signal produced by the coalescence of a pair of stellar-mass black holes. The signal was measured on January 4, 2017 at 10: 11: 58.6 UTC by the twin advanced detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory during their second observing run, with a network signal-to-noise ratio of 13 and a false alarm rate less than 1 in 70 000 years. The inferred component black hole masses are 31.2(-6.0)(+8.4)M-circle dot and 19.4(-5.9)(+5.3)M(circle dot) (at the 90% credible level). The black hole spins are best constrained through measurement of the effective inspiral spin parameter, a mass-weighted combination of the spin components perpendicular to the orbital plane, chi(eff) = -0.12(-0.30)(+0.21) . This result implies that spin configurations with both component spins positively aligned with the orbital angular momentum are disfavored. The source luminosity distance is 880(-390)(+450) Mpc corresponding to a redshift of z = 0.18(-0.07)(+0.08) . We constrain the magnitude of modifications to the gravitational-wave dispersion relation and perform null tests of general relativity. Assuming that gravitons are dispersed in vacuum like massive particles, we bound the graviton mass to m(g) <= 7.7 x 10(-23) eV/c(2). In all cases, we find that GW170104 is consistent with general relativity

Properties of the Binary Neutron Star Merger GW170817

On August 17, 2017, the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo gravitational-wave detectors observed a low-mass compact binary inspiral. The initial sky localization of the source of the gravitational-wave signal, GW170817, allowed electromagnetic observatories to identify NGC 4993 as the host galaxy. In this work, we improve initial estimates of the binary's properties, including component masses, spins, and tidal parameters, using the known source location, improved modeling, and recalibrated Virgo data. We extend the range of gravitational-wave frequencies considered down to 23 Hz, compared to 30 Hz in the initial analysis. We also compare results inferred using several signal models, which are more accurate and incorporate additional physical effects as compared to the initial analysis. We improve the localization of the gravitational-wave source to a 90% credible region of 16  deg2. We find tighter constraints on the masses, spins, and tidal parameters, and continue to find no evidence for nonzero component spins. The component masses are inferred to lie between 1.00 and 1.89  M⊙ when allowing for large component spins, and to lie between 1.16 and 1.60  M⊙ (with a total mass 2.73−0.01+0.04  M⊙) when the spins are restricted to be within the range observed in Galactic binary neutron stars. Using a precessing model and allowing for large component spins, we constrain the dimensionless spins of the components to be less than 0.50 for the primary and 0.61 for the secondary. Under minimal assumptions about the nature of the compact objects, our constraints for the tidal deformability parameter Λ are (0,630) when we allow for large component spins, and 300−230+420 (using a 90% highest posterior density interval) when restricting the magnitude of the component spins, ruling out several equation-of-state models at the 90% credible level. Finally, with LIGO and GEO600 data, we use a Bayesian analysis to place upper limits on the amplitude and spectral energy density of a possible postmerger signal