The Size-Frequency Distribution of the Zodiacal Cloud: Evidence from the Solar System Dust Bands

Recent observations of the size-frequency distribution of zodiacal cloud particles obtained from the cratering record on the LDEF satellite (Love and Brownlee 1993) reveal a significant large particle population (100 micron diameter or greater) near 1 AU. Our previous modeling of the Solar System dust bands (Grogan et al 1997), features of the zodiacal cloud associated with the comminution of Hirayama family asteroids, has been limited by the fact that only small particles (25 micron diameter or smaller) have been considered. This was due to the prohibitively large amount of computing power required to numerically analyze the dynamics of larger particles. The recent availability of cheap, fast processors has finally made this work possible. Models of the dust bands are created, built from individual dust particle orbits, taking into account a size-frequency distribution of the material and the dynamical history of the constituent particles. These models are able to match both the shapes and amplitudes of the dust band structures observed by IRAS in multiple wavebands. The size-frequency index, q, that best matches the observations is approximately 1.4, consistent with the LDEF results in that large particles are shown to dominate. However, in order to successfully model the `ten degree' band, which is usually associated with collisional activity within the Eos family, we find that the mean proper inclination of the dust particle orbits has to be approximately 9.35 degrees, significantly different to the mean proper inclination of the Eos family (10.08 degrees).Comment: 49 pages total, including 27 figure pages. Submitted to Icaru

The structure of the holocephalan head and the relationships of the Chondrichthyes

The interrelationship of the chondrichthyan subclasses is evaluated based on divergence in the nature of the suspensorium, the preorbital cranial anatomy, the distribution of major venous sinuses and localization of hematopoietic tissue. The anatomy of representative extant taxa was examined by radiography and/or dissection. Fossil selachians, paraselachians, and holocephalans of the Bear Gulch of Montana, U.S.A. (Mississippian, Namurian E2B) were studied for evidence of vascular pigmentation, suspensorium, and cranial, branchial, and pectoral anatomy. These studies validate the suspensorial condition of autodiastyly and suggest autodiastyly is a fundamental condition involved in the basic radiation of Chondrichthyes. The plesiomorphous condition of all gnathostomes is proposed to be sutodiastylic, with the hyoid arch modified for the support of an opercular covering. A precerebral fontanelle is primary within Chondrichthyes, being lost in Holocephali as cranial remodeling induces ethmoid canal formation. The holocephalan pattern of cranial vascularization is based on the more general selachian plan. Thus, given the formulation of a morphocline based on selachian, paraselachian, and holocephalan data, seemingly distinct selachian and holocephalan vascular elements are shown to be analogous. Similarly, the unique patterns of lymphomyeloid tissue distribution identified for each subclass may also be explained on the basis of general plan which has been subject to relocalization stresses. Finally, both the morphocline and a cladistical analysis of the data support a cochliodont ancestry for extant holocephalans

A note on the comparison of three near infrared reflectance spectroscopy calibration strategies for assessing herbage quality of ryegrass

peer-reviewedPerennial ryegrass (n = 1,836), Italian ryegrass (n = 137) and hybrid ryegrass (n = 103) herbage was taken from harvested plots from the Irish national variety evaluation scheme and analysed for in vitro dry matter digestibility, water soluble carbohydrate concentration, crude protein concentration and buffering capacity. Spectral data were obtained using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and three calibration strategies (global, species-specific or local) were utilised to relate the reference values to the spectral data. The local strategy generally provided the poorest estimation of herbage composition, with global and species-specific calibration strategies producing similarly accurate estimates of each quality trait. The higher accuracy and easier maintenance of the global strategy make it the recommended calibration method for analysing quality of ryegrass.Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine Research Stimulus Fund (07 526

Comparison of herbage yield, nutritive value and ensilability traits of three ryegrass species evaluated for the Irish Recommended List

peer-reviewedThis study examined 169 of the newest varieties of three ryegrass species, perennial (Lolium perenne L.), Italian (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) and hybrid (Lolium boucheanum Kunth), from Recommended List trials in Ireland. The traits examined were yield, dry matter concentration, three nutritive value traits (in vitro dry matter digestibility, water-soluble carbohydrate on a dry matter basis and crude protein concentration) and two ensilability traits (buffering capacity and water soluble carbohydrate concentration on an aqueous phase basis). Varietal monocultures of each species underwent a six cut combined simulated grazing and silage management in each of two years following sowing. Perennial ryegrass yielded less than both other species in one-year-old swards, but less than only Italian ryegrass in two-year-old swards, but generally had the higher in vitro dry matter digestibility and crude protein values. Italian ryegrass displayed the most favourable ensilability characteristics of the three species with perennial ryegrass less favourable and hybrid ryegrass intermediate. Overall, despite the high yields and favourable nutritive value and ensilability traits recorded, the general differences between the three ryegrass species studied were in line with industry expectations. These findings justify assessing the nutritive value and ensilability of ryegrass species, in addition to yield, to allow farmers select species that match farming enterprise requirements.We acknowledge the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine for funding provided through the Research Stimulus Fund (07 526

Snorkeling a 323myo Paleozooic Bay Community Structure and Depositional Environment of the Bear Gulch Limestone of Montana

The Carboniferous Bear Gulch Limestone of Montana preserves the fauna and flora of a shallow, tropical marine bay, providing a rare glimpse into bay ecology and community structure in deep time. We discuss how museum fish collections are vital resources that assist us in resurrecting the fossil fish and how we derived a depositional model that explains the quality of preservation in this lagerstatte and records the diversity of its fishes (chondrichthyan, sarcopterygian and actinopterygians)

Adaptability of Irrigation to a Changing Monsoon in India: How far can we go?

Agriculture and the monsoon are inextricably linked in India. A large part of the steady rise in agricultural production since the onset of the Green Revolution in the 1960’s has been attributed to irrigation. Irrigation is used to supplement and buffer crops against precipitation shocks, but water availability for such use is itself sensitive to the erratic, seasonal and spatially heterogeneous nature of the monsoon. Most attention in the literature is given to crop yields (Guiteras, 2009; Fishman, 2012; Auffhammer et al, 2011) and their ability to withstand precipitation shocks, in the presence of irrigation (Fishman, 2012). However, there remains limited evidence about how natural weather variability and realized irrigation outcomes are related. We provide new evidence on the relationship between monsoon changes, irrigation variability and water availability by linking a process based hydrology model with an econometric model for one of the world’s most water stressed countries. India uses more groundwater for irrigation than any other country, and there is substantial evidence that this has led to depletion of groundwater aquifers. First, we build an econometric model of historical irrigation decisions using detailed crop-wise agriculture and weather data spanning 35 years from 1970-2004 for 311 districts across 19 major agricultural states in India. The source of agricultural data comes from the Village Dynamics in South Asia database at the International Crop Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). Weather data is sourced from the only long term continental scale daily observationally gridded precipitation and temperature dataset called APHRODITE (Asian Precipitation- Highly Resolved Observational Data Integration Towards Evaluation of the Water Resources), that captures the spatial extent of the monsoon across the Himalayas, South and South-East Asia, and the Middle East in great detail. We use panel data approaches to control for unobserved and omitted variables that can confound the true impacts of weather variability on irrigation. Exploiting the exogenous inter-annual variability in the monsoon, our multivariate regression models reveal that for crops grown in the wet season, irrigation is sensitive to distribution and total monsoon rainfall but not to ground or surface water availability. For crops grown in the dry season, total monsoon rainfall matters most, and its effect is sensitive to groundwater availability but differentially so for shallow dug wells and deep tube wells. The historical estimates from the econometric model are used to calculate future irrigated areas using three different bias-corrected climate model projections of monsoon climate for the years 2010 – 2050 under the strongest warming scenario ( business as usual scenario) RCP-8.5 from the CMIP5 (Coupled Model Intercomparison Project) models. These projections are then used as input to a physical hydrology model, such as the Water Balance Model, that tracks water use and exchange between the ground, atmosphere, runoff and stream networks. This enables us to quantify supply of water required to meet irrigation needs from sustainable sources such as rechargeable shallow groundwater, rivers and reservoirs, as well as unsustainable sources such as non- rechargeable groundwater. Preliminary results show that the significant variation in monsoon projections lead to very different results. Crops grown in the dry season show particularly divergent trends between model projections, leading to very different groundwater resource requirements. By combining the strengths of the economic and hydrology components, this work highlights potential sustainable or unsustainable water use trajectories that different regions within India will face

Abnormal infant islet morphology precedes insulin resistance in PCOS-like monkeys.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is prevalent in reproductive-aged women and confounded by metabolic morbidities, including insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. Although the etiology of PCOS is undefined, contribution of prenatal androgen (PA) exposure has been proposed in a rhesus monkey model as premenopausal PA female adults have PCOS-like phenotypes in addition to insulin resistance and decreased glucose tolerance. PA female infants exhibit relative hyperinsulinemia, suggesting prenatal sequelae of androgen excess on glucose metabolism and an antecedent to future metabolic disease. We assessed consequences of PA exposure on pancreatic islet morphology to identify evidence of programming on islet development. Islet counts and size were quantified and correlated with data from intravenous glucose tolerance tests (ivGTT) obtained from dams and their offspring. Average islet size was decreased in PA female infants along with corresponding increases in islet number, while islet fractional area was preserved. Infants also demonstrated an increase in both the proliferation marker Ki67 within islets and the beta to alpha cell ratio suggestive of enhanced beta cell expansion. PA adult females have reduced proportion of small islets without changes in proliferative or apoptotic markers, or in beta to alpha cell ratios. Together, these data suggest in utero androgen excess combined with mild maternal glucose intolerance alter infant and adult islet morphology, implicating deviant islet development. Marked infant, but subtle adult, morphological differences provide evidence of islet post-natal plasticity in adapting to changing physiologic demands: from insulin sensitivity and relative hypersecretion to insulin resistance and diminished insulin response to glucose in the mature PCOS-like phenotype