174 research outputs found
A microsatellite marker for yellow rust resistance in wheat
Bulk segregant analysis (BSA) was used to identify molecular markers associated with yellow rust disease resistance in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). DNAs isolated from the selected yellow rust tolerant and susceptible F-2 individuals derived from a cross between yellow rust resistant and susceptible wheat genotypes were used to established a "tolerant" and a "susceptible" DNA pool. The BSA was then performed on these DNA pools using 230 markers that were previously mapped onto the individual wheat chromosomes. One of the SSR markers (Xgwm382) located on chromosome group 2 (A, B, D genomes) was present in the resistant parent and the resistant bulk but not in the susceptible parent and the susceptible bulk, suggesting that this marker is linked to a yellow rust resistance gene. The presence of Xgwm382 was also tested in 108 additional wheat genotypes differing in yellow rust resistance. This analysis showed that 81% of the wheat genotypes known to be yellow rust resistant had the Xgwm382 marker, further suggesting that the presence of this marker correlates with yellow rust resistance in diverse wheat germplasm. Therefore, Xgwm382 could be useful for marker assisted selection of yellow rust resistances genotypes in wheat breeding programs
Deterministically Driven Avalanche Models of Solar Flares
We develop and discuss the properties of a new class of lattice-based
avalanche models of solar flares. These models are readily amenable to a
relatively unambiguous physical interpretation in terms of slow twisting of a
coronal loop. They share similarities with other avalanche models, such as the
classical stick--slip self-organized critical model of earthquakes, in that
they are driven globally by a fully deterministic energy loading process. The
model design leads to a systematic deficit of small scale avalanches. In some
portions of model space, mid-size and large avalanching behavior is scale-free,
being characterized by event size distributions that have the form of
power-laws with index values, which, in some parameter regimes, compare
favorably to those inferred from solar EUV and X-ray flare data. For models
using conservative or near-conservative redistribution rules, a population of
large, quasiperiodic avalanches can also appear. Although without direct
counterparts in the observational global statistics of flare energy release,
this latter behavior may be relevant to recurrent flaring in individual coronal
loops. This class of models could provide a basis for the prediction of large
solar flares.Comment: 24 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables, accepted for publication in Solar
Physic
Mild head injury increasing the brain's vulnerability to a second concussive impact
Object. Mild, traumatic repetitive head injury (RHI) leads to neurobehavioral impairment and is associated with the early onset of neurodegenerative disease. The authors developed an animal model to investigate the behavioral and pathological changes associated with RHI.
Methods. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were subjected to a single injury (43 mice), repetitive injury (two injuries 24 hours apart 49 m ice), or no impact (36 mice). Cognitive function was assessed using the Morris water maze test, and neurological motor function was evaluated using a battery of neuroscore, rotarod, and rotating pole tests. The animals were also evaluated for cardiovascular changes, blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown, traumatic axonal injury, and neurodegenerative and histopathological changes between 1 day and 56 days after brain trauma. No cognitive dysfunction was detected in any group. The single-impact group showed mild impairment according to the neuroscore test at only 3 days postinjury, whereas RHI caused pronounced deficits at 3 days and 7 days following the second injury. Moreover, RHI led to functional impairment during the rotarod and rotating pole tests that was not observed in any animal after a single impact. Small areas of cortical BBB breakdown and axonal injury, observed after a single brain injury, were profoundly exacerbated after RHI. Immunohistochemical staining for microtubule-associated protein-2 revealed marked regional loss of immunoreactivity only in animals subjected to RHI. No deposits of beta -amyloid or tau were observed in any brain-injured animal.
Conclusions. On the basis of their results, the authors suggest that the brain has an increased vulnerability to a second traumatic insult for at least 24 hours following an initial episode of mild brain trauma
A Better Way to Reconstruct Dark Energy Models ?
To reconstruct dark energy models the redshift , marking the end of
radiation era and the beginning of matter-dominated era, can play a role as
important as , the redshift at which deceleration parameter experiences
a signature flip. To implement the idea we propose a variable equation of state
for matter that can bring a smooth transition from radiation to
matter-dominated era in a single model. A popular dark
energy model is chosen for demonstration but found to be unacceptable. An
alternative model is proposed and found to be more
close to observation.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures Accepted for publication in `Astrophysics and
Space Science
A review and rationale for the use of genetically engineered animals in the study of traumatic brain injury
The mechanisms underlying secondary cell death after traumatic brain injury (TBI) are poorly understood. Animal models of TBI recapitulate many clinical and pathologic aspects of human head injury, and the development of genetically engineered animals has offered the opportunity to investigate the specific molecular and cellular mechanisms associated with cell dysfunction and death after TBI, allowing for the evaluation of specific cause-effect relations and mechanistic hypotheses. This article represents a compendium of the current literature using genetically engineered mice in studies designed to better understand the posttraumatic inflammatory response, the mechanisms underlying DNA damage, repair, and cell death, and the link between TBI and neurodegenerative diseases
Propagating Disturbances in Coronal Loops: A Detailed Analysis of Propagation Speeds
Quasi-periodic disturbances have been observed in the outer solar atmosphere
for many years now. Although first interpreted as upflows (Schrijver et al.
(1999)), they have been widely regarded as slow magnetoacoustic waves, due to
observed velocities and periods. However, recent observations have questioned
this interpretation, as periodic disturbances in Doppler velocity, line width
and profile asymmetry were found to be in phase with the intensity oscillations
(De Pontieu et al. (2010),Tian1 et al. (2011))}, suggesting the disturbances
could be quasi-periodic upflows. Here we conduct a detailed analysis of the
velocities of these disturbances across several wavelengths using the
Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory
(SDO). We analysed 41 examples, including both sunspot and non sunspot regions
of the Sun. We found that the velocities of propagating disturbances (PDs)
located at sunspots are more likely to be temperature dependent, whereas the
velocities of PDs at non sunspot locations do not show a clear temperature
dependence. We also considered on what scale the underlying driver is affecting
the properties of the PDs. Finally, we found that removing the contribution due
to the cooler ions in the 193 A wavelength suggests that a substantial part of
the 193 emission of sunspot PDs can be contributed to the cool component of
193\AA.Comment: 26 Papges, 15 Figure
Solar flare prediction using advanced feature extraction, machine learning and feature selection
YesNovel machine-learning and feature-selection algorithms have been developed to study: (i)
the flare prediction capability of magnetic feature (MF) properties generated by the recently developed
Solar Monitor Active Region Tracker (SMART); (ii) SMART's MF properties that are most significantly
related to flare occurrence. Spatio-temporal association algorithms are developed to associate MFs
with flares from April 1996 to December 2010 in order to differentiate flaring and non-flaring MFs and
enable the application of machine learning and feature selection algorithms. A machine-learning
algorithm is applied to the associated datasets to determine the flare prediction capability of all 21
SMART MF properties. The prediction performance is assessed using standard forecast verification
measures and compared with the prediction measures of one of the industry's standard technologies
for flare prediction that is also based on machine learning - Automated Solar Activity Prediction (ASAP).
The comparison shows that the combination of SMART MFs with machine learning has the potential to
achieve more accurate flare prediction than ASAP. Feature selection algorithms are then applied to
determine the MF properties that are most related to flare occurrence. It is found that a reduced set of
6 MF properties can achieve a similar degree of prediction accuracy as the full set of 21 SMART MF
properties
Origins of the Ambient Solar Wind: Implications for Space Weather
The Sun's outer atmosphere is heated to temperatures of millions of degrees,
and solar plasma flows out into interplanetary space at supersonic speeds. This
paper reviews our current understanding of these interrelated problems: coronal
heating and the acceleration of the ambient solar wind. We also discuss where
the community stands in its ability to forecast how variations in the solar
wind (i.e., fast and slow wind streams) impact the Earth. Although the last few
decades have seen significant progress in observations and modeling, we still
do not have a complete understanding of the relevant physical processes, nor do
we have a quantitatively precise census of which coronal structures contribute
to specific types of solar wind. Fast streams are known to be connected to the
central regions of large coronal holes. Slow streams, however, appear to come
from a wide range of sources, including streamers, pseudostreamers, coronal
loops, active regions, and coronal hole boundaries. Complicating our
understanding even more is the fact that processes such as turbulence,
stream-stream interactions, and Coulomb collisions can make it difficult to
unambiguously map a parcel measured at 1 AU back down to its coronal source. We
also review recent progress -- in theoretical modeling, observational data
analysis, and forecasting techniques that sit at the interface between data and
theory -- that gives us hope that the above problems are indeed solvable.Comment: Accepted for publication in Space Science Reviews. Special issue
connected with a 2016 ISSI workshop on "The Scientific Foundations of Space
Weather." 44 pages, 9 figure
Multiwavelength studies of MHD waves in the solar chromosphere: An overview of recent results
The chromosphere is a thin layer of the solar atmosphere that bridges the
relatively cool photosphere and the intensely heated transition region and
corona. Compressible and incompressible waves propagating through the
chromosphere can supply significant amounts of energy to the interface region
and corona. In recent years an abundance of high-resolution observations from
state-of-the-art facilities have provided new and exciting ways of
disentangling the characteristics of oscillatory phenomena propagating through
the dynamic chromosphere. Coupled with rapid advancements in
magnetohydrodynamic wave theory, we are now in an ideal position to thoroughly
investigate the role waves play in supplying energy to sustain chromospheric
and coronal heating. Here, we review the recent progress made in
characterising, categorising and interpreting oscillations manifesting in the
solar chromosphere, with an impetus placed on their intrinsic energetics.Comment: 48 pages, 25 figures, accepted into Space Science Review
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