Magnetic properties of a spin-1 Triangular Ising system

We studied some magnetic behaviors of Blume-Capel (BC) model in a site diluted triangular lattice by means of the effective-field theory (EFT) with correlations. The effects of the exchange interaction (J), crystal field (D), concentration (p) and temperature (T) on the magnetic properties of spin-1 BC model in a triangular lattice such as magnetization, susceptibility, phase diagram and hysteresis behaviors are investigated, in detail. The phase diagrams of the system are presented in two different planes. The tricritical point as well as tetracritical and critical end special points are found as depending on the physical parameters of the system. Moreover, when the hysteresis behaviors of the system are examined, the single and double hysteresis loop are observed for various values of the physical parameters. We show that the hysteresis loops have different coercive field points in which the susceptibility make peak at these points

BROCCOLI AND MOOSE, NOT ALWAYS BEST SERVED TOGETHER: IMPLEMENTING A CONTROLLED MOOSE HUNT IN MAINE

In eastern Aroostook County, Maine abundant populations of moose (Alces alces) within an agricultural-woodland setting negatively impact cole crops and incur a high rate of moose-vehicle collisions. Despite increases in antlerless hunting permits and relatively high hunter success rates, the recreational hunting framework was not effective in reducing these negative impacts, and hunter behavior had strained landowner relations and reduced access. Continuing landowner relation problems and loss of access were counterproductive to the effective distribution of hunters and reducing moose abundance. In 2009 a controlled moose hunt was implemented to reduce immediate impacts on cole crops by moose, affect short-term population reduction, and facilitate cooperation and communication among stakeholders. This paper describes the rationale and framework for implementation of the controlled moose hunt, use of a co-managerial approach, and how the hunt addressed moose management goals and objectives. Development and application of this controlled moose hunt in Maine provides managers with another critical tool to affect population trajectory and address tangible social issues associated with moose populations above social carrying capacity

USING A DOUBLE-COUNT AERIAL SURVEY TO ESTIMATE MOOSE ABUNDANCE IN MAINE

Management goals and objectives for moose (Alces alces) in Maine are centered on providing hunting and wildlife viewing opportunity. Robust population estimates of moose are critical to assure that harvest rates are appropriate and biologically sustainable while also addressing values of other user groups. The Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife most recently used the relationship between moose sightings by deer hunters and moose abundance to produce density indices within Wildlife Management Districts (WMD). Due to the marked decline of deer hunters in much of northern Maine that invalidates use of this technique, we tested a double-count aerial survey method to estimate moose abundance in 9 northern WMDs. Density estimates ranged from 0.4–4.0 moose/km2, sightability was high (>70%) for all size moose groups (1–≥3 moose), and moose were well distributed across the landscape in early winter. The density estimates tracked closely with trends in moose sighting rate by moose hunters, harvest level, and hunter success rate in the survey area, and were consistent with jurisdictions in eastern Canada that also have low levels of predation and a preponderance of younger-aged forests. The double-count aerial survey is considered the preferred method to estimate population density, whereas hunter sighting indices would be most useful to track temporal population changes within a WMD

Dissecting the Genetic Basis of Local Adaptation in Soybean

Soybean (Glycine max) is the most widely grown oilseed in the world and is an important source of protein for both humans and livestock. Soybean is widely adapted to both temperate and tropical regions, but a changing climate demands a better understanding of adaptation to specific environmental conditions. Here, we explore genetic variation in a collection of 3,012 georeferenced, locally adapted landraces from a broad geographical range to help elucidate the genetic basis of local adaptation. We used geographic origin, environmental data and dense genome-wide SNP data to perform an environmental association analysis and discover loci displaying steep gradients in allele frequency across geographical distance and between landrace and modern cultivars. Our combined application of methods in environmental association mapping and detection of selection targets provide a better understanding of how geography and selection may have shaped genetic variation among soybean landraces. Moreover, we identified several important candidate genes related to drought and heat stress, and revealed important genomic regions possibly involved in the geographic divergence of soybean

Unique and conserved MicroRNAs in wheat chromosome 5D revealed by next-generation sequencing

MicroRNAs are a class of short, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators in gene expression. miRNA analysis of Triticum aestivum chromosome 5D was performed on 454 GS FLX Titanium sequences of flow sorted chromosome 5D with a total of 3,208,630 good quality reads representing 1.34x and 1.61x coverage of the short (5DS) and long (5DL) arms of the chromosome respectively. In silico and structural analyses revealed a total of 55 miRNAs; 48 and 42 miRNAs were found to be present on 5DL and 5DS respectively, of which 35 were common to both chromosome arms, while 13 miRNAs were specific to 5DL and 7 miRNAs were specific to 5DS. In total, 14 of the predicted miRNAs were identified in wheat for the first time. Representation (the copy number of each miRNA) was also found to be higher in 5DL (1,949) compared to 5DS (1,191). Targets were predicted for each miRNA, while expression analysis gave evidence of expression for 6 out of 55 miRNAs. Occurrences of the same miRNAs were also found in Brachypodium distachyon and Oryza sativa genome sequences to identify syntenic miRNA coding sequences. Based on this analysis, two other miRNAs: miR1133 and miR167 were detected in B. distachyon syntenic region of wheat 5DS. Five of the predicted miRNA coding regions (miR6220, miR5070, miR169, miR5085, miR2118) were experimentally verified to be located to the 5D chromosome and three of them : miR2118, miR169 and miR5085, were shown to be 5D specific. Furthermore miR2118 was shown to be expressed in Chinese Spring adult leaves. miRNA genes identified in this study will expand our understanding of gene regulation in bread wheat

ANALYSIS OF AGE, BODY WEIGHT AND ANTLER SPREAD OF BULL MOOSE HARVESTED IN MAINE, 1980-2009

Age, field-dressed body weight, and antler spread data collected from 11,566 harvested moose (Alces alces) were analyzed to assess whether temporal change has occurred in the physical characteristics of bull moose from 1980–2009 in Maine. The annual proportion and antler spread of trophy bulls (spread ≥ 137 cm; n = 851) were also analyzed. There was no evidence of a measurable decline in the body weight or antler spread of adult bull moose (≥1.5 years old), similar to findings in Vermont and New Hampshire in a recent >20 year temporal analysis. There was a slight increase in physical characteristics of yearlings that contrasted with the trend in New Hampshire and Vermont where it is speculated that parasitism by winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) reduces growth rate and recruitment by yearlings. The proportion of trophy bulls in the harvest declined proportionally ∼26% (9.3 to 6.9%) as harvest increased >2x from 1980–1987 to 2005–2009; however, the mean spread of trophy bulls declined by only 2% (P = 0.002). Additionally, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in the proportion of harvested bulls within each age class between 1980–1987 and 2005–2009, and the relatively stable proportion of mature bulls (>5 years old) in the harvest across time periods (30–44%) does not suggest selective harvest of older, trophy bulls. In the face of the declining regional population, continued monitoring of harvested moose is warranted to best manage the largest and longest harvested population in the northeastern United States

ANALYSIS OF AGE, BODY WEIGHT AND ANTLER SPREAD OF BULL MOOSE HARVESTED IN MAINE, 1980-2009

Age, field-dressed body weight, and antler spread data collected from 11,566 harvested moose (Alces alces) were analyzed to assess whether temporal change has occurred in the physical characteristics of bull moose from 1980–2009 in Maine. The annual proportion and antler spread of trophy bulls (spread ≥ 137 cm; n = 851) were also analyzed. There was no evidence of a measurable decline in the body weight or antler spread of adult bull moose (≥1.5 years old), similar to findings in Vermont and New Hampshire in a recent >20 year temporal analysis. There was a slight increase in physical characteristics of yearlings that contrasted with the trend in New Hampshire and Vermont where it is speculated that parasitism by winter ticks (Dermacentor albipictus) reduces growth rate and recruitment by yearlings. The proportion of trophy bulls in the harvest declined proportionally ∼26% (9.3 to 6.9%) as harvest increased >2x from 1980–1987 to 2005–2009; however, the mean spread of trophy bulls declined by only 2% (P = 0.002). Additionally, there were no differences (P > 0.05) in the proportion of harvested bulls within each age class between 1980–1987 and 2005–2009, and the relatively stable proportion of mature bulls (>5 years old) in the harvest across time periods (30–44%) does not suggest selective harvest of older, trophy bulls. In the face of the declining regional population, continued monitoring of harvested moose is warranted to best manage the largest and longest harvested population in the northeastern United States

USING AERIAL SURVEY OBSERVATIONS TO IDENTIFY WINTER HABITAT USE OF MOOSE IN NORTHERN MAINE

Winter habitat use by moose (Alces alces) is typically comprised of regenerating forest and softwood cover in the northeastern United States, and globally, high winter densities are of concern relative to forest damage. Habitat variables associated with winter locations of moose collected during aerial surveys in Maine in 2011 and 2012 were compared to available habitat at multiple landscape scales. Mixed forest was the most used land cover type at both the location and 5 ha scales (35.1% and 31.3%, respectively). Although regenerating forest habitat was used only in proportion to availability, the proximity to recent clearcuts, light partial cuts, and heavy partial cuts was an important predictor of moose location. The used proportion of coarse habitat variables (i.e., mature and regenerating forest) were similar to those available in each aerial survey block, indicating that heterogeneous and productive moose habitat is widely available across the commercial forest landscape of northern Maine. Moose locations derived from aerial surveys can provide insight about spatial distribution and habitat use across the landscape, identify local density in areas where forest regeneration is of concern, and monitor population responses to commercial forest management practices

Impact resistance of deflection-hardening fiber reinforced concretes with different mixture parameters

YesThe impact behavior of deflection-hardening High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Concretes (HPFRCs) was evaluated herein. During the preparation of HPFRCs, fiber type and amount, fly ash to Portland cement ratio and aggregate to binder ratio were taken into consideration. HPFRC beams were tested for impact resistance using free-fall drop-weight test. Acceleration, displacement and impact load vs. time graphs were constructed and their relationship to the proposed mixture parameters were evaluated. The paper also aims to present and verify a nonlinear finite element analysis, employing the incremental nonlinear dynamic analysis, concrete damage plasticity model and contact surface between the dropped hammer and test specimen available in ABAQUS. The proposed modelling provides extensive and accurate data on structural behavior, including acceleration, displacement profiles and residual displacement results. Experimental results which are further confirmed by numerical studies show that impact resistance of HPFRC mixtures can be significantly improved by a proper mixture proportioning. In the presence of high amounts of coarse aggregates, fly ash and increased volume of hybrid fibers, impact resistance of fiberless reference specimens can be modified in a way to exhibit relatively smaller displacement results after impact loading without risking the basic mechanical properties and deflection-hardening response with multiple cracking

A Roadmap for Functional Structural Variants in the Soybean Genome

Gene structural variation (SV) has recently emerged as a key genetic mechanism underlying several important phenotypic traits in crop species. We screened a panel of 41 soybean (Glycine max) accessions serving as parents in a soybean nested association mapping population for deletions and duplications in more than 53,000 gene models. Array hybridization and whole genome resequencing methods were used as complementary technologies to identify SV in 1528 genes, or approximately 2.8%, of the soybean gene models. Although SV occurs throughout the genome, SV enrichment was noted in families of biotic defense response genes. Among accessions, SV was nearly eightfold less frequent for gene models that have retained paralogs since the last whole genome duplication event, compared with genes that have not retained paralogs. Increases in gene copy number, similar to that described at the Rhg1 resistance locus, account for approximately one-fourth of the genic SV events. This assessment of soybean SV occurrence presents a target list of genes potentially responsible for rapidly evolving and/or adaptive traits