Applications and efficiencies of the first cat 63K DNA array

The development of high throughput SNP genotyping technologies has improved the genetic dissection of simple and complex traits in many species including cats. The properties of feline 62,897 SNPs Illumina Infinium iSelect DNA array are described using a dataset of over 2,000 feline samples, the most extensive to date, representing 41 cat breeds, a random bred population, and four wild felid species. Accuracy and efficiency of the array\u2019s genotypes and its utility in performing population-based analyses were evaluated. Average marker distance across the array was 37,741 Kb, and across the dataset, only 1% (625) of the markers exhibited poor genotyping and only 0.35% (221) showed Mendelian errors. Marker polymorphism varied across cat breeds and the average minor allele frequency (MAF) of all markers across domestic cats was 0.21. Population structure analysis confirmed a Western to Eastern structural continuum of cat breeds. Genome-wide linkage disequilibrium ranged from 50\u20131,500 Kb for domestic cats and 750 Kb for European wildcats (Felis silvestris silvestris). Array use in trait association mapping was investigated under different modes of inheritance, selection and population sizes. The efficient array design and cat genotype dataset continues to advance the understanding of cat breeds and will support monogenic health studies across feline breeds and populations

A Pre-Landing Assessment of Regolith Properties at the InSight Landing Site

This article discusses relevant physical properties of the regolith at the Mars InSight landing site as understood prior to landing of the spacecraft. InSight will land in the northern lowland plains of Mars, close to the equator, where the regolith is estimated to be ≥3--5 m thick. These investigations of physical properties have relied on data collected from Mars orbital measurements, previously collected lander and rover data, results of studies of data and samples from Apollo lunar missions, laboratory measurements on regolith simulants, and theoretical studies. The investigations include changes in properties with depth and temperature. Mechanical properties investigated include density, grain-size distribution, cohesion, and angle of internal friction. Thermophysical properties include thermal inertia, surface emissivity and albedo, thermal conductivity and diffusivity, and specific heat. Regolith elastic properties not only include parameters that control seismic wave velocities in the immediate vicinity of the Insight lander but also coupling of the lander and other potential noise sources to the InSight broadband seismometer. The related properties include Poisson’s ratio, P- and S-wave velocities, Young’s modulus, and seismic attenuation. Finally, mass diffusivity was investigated to estimate gas movements in the regolith driven by atmospheric pressure changes. Physical properties presented here are all to some degree speculative. However, they form a basis for interpretation of the early data to be returned from the InSight mission.Additional co-authors: Nick Teanby and Sharon Keda

Custos operacionais da colheita mecanizada do cafeeiro Operational costs of mechanized harvest of coffee

O objetivo desse trabalho foi avaliar os custos operacionais da colheita mecanizada do cafeeiro em duas passadas da colhedora. O trabalho foi desenvolvido na Fazenda Capetinga, Município de Boa Esperança, MG. Os experimentos foram realizados com duas passadas da colhedora, definidas de acordo com o índice de ocorrência de grãos verdes na planta. Na primeira passada, com média de 30% de grãos verdes, a velocidade foi fixada em torno de 0,45 m s-1, tendo-se variado as vibrações em 10,83, 12,50, 14,17 e 15 Hz (tratamentos T1, T2, T3 e T4, respectivamente). Na segunda passada, realizada sobre as mesmas parcelas da primeira passada, com média de 10% de grãos verdes, a vibração foi fixada em 16,67 Hz, tendo-se variado as velocidades em 0,60, 0,72, 0,29 e 0,45 m s-1 (tratamentos T1, T2, T3 e T4, respectivamente). Utilizou-se delineamento inteiramente casualizado, com quatro repetições, em parcelas aleatórias com 40 plantas por linha, em média. Para a análise dos custos de colheita, comparou-se a colheita mecanizada com a manual. A redução do custo total da colheita mecanizada é de 62,36% em relação à colheita manual, colhendo com a velocidade operacional de 0,45 m s-1 nas duas passadas.<br>The objective of this work was to evaluate the operational costs of mechanized harvest of coffee in two passes of the harvester. The work was carried out in the Capetinga Farm, Boa Esperança City, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The experiments were made with two passes of the harvester, defined according to the green grain index. In the first pass, with average of 30% green grains, velocity was fixed around 0.45 m s-1, and vibration varied at 10.85, 12.50 14.17 and 15 Hz (treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4). In the second pass, carried out in the same plots of the first pass, with average of 10% green grains, vibration was fixed in 16.67 Hz, and velocity varied at 0.60, 0.72, 0.29 and 0.45 m s-1 (treatments T1, T2, T3 and T4). It was utilized a completely randomized design with four replications, in plots with 40 plants per line, in average. For the analysis of harvest costs, the mechanized harvest was compared with the manual one. The total cost reduction of the mechanized harvest is 62.36% in relation to the manual harvest, with the operational speed 0.45 m s-1 in the two passes

Effects of buried high-Z layers on fast electron propagation

By extending a prior model [A.R. Bell, J.R. Davies, S.M. Guerin, Phys. Rev. E 58, 2471 (1998)], the magnetic field generated during the transport of a fast electron beam driven by an ultraintense laser in a solid target is derived analytically and applied to estimate the effect of such field on fast electron propagation through a buried high-Z layer in a lower-Z target. It is found that the effect gets weaker with the increase of the depth of the buried layer, the divergence of the fast electrons, and the laser intensity, indicating that magnetic field effects on the fast electron divergence as measured from Ka X-ray emission may need to be considered for moderate laser intensities. On the basis of the calculations, some considerations are made on how one can mitigate the effect of the magnetic field generated at the interface