Estimation of Seismic Loss Functions for Typical Steel Office Buildings

Drought is one of the most important abiotic stresses and severely affects global agricultural production. Root system architecture (RSA) is the key determinant of water acquisition under moisture stress, and therefore has utility in breeding for drought tolerance in sorghum. Various components of RSA are known to influence drought tolerance in sorghum without any negative impact on yield. The growth angle of nodal roots is an important target trait for improving drought tolerance. Genetic variation for nodal root angle has been reported in sorghum, and this has been associated with grain yield under drought stress. Rapid advances in sorghum genomics have led to the identification of various quantitative trait loci (QTL) governing RSA, but the accuracy and preciseness in identification of QTL is the major hindrance in development of drought-tolerant cultivars through genetic manipulation of root traits. Hence, the complex genetic control of RSA and the lack of a high-throughput phenotyping platform have hampered integration of selection for RSA in breeding programs. These limitations can be overcome by designing a robust phenotyping platform that can maximize heritability and repeatability of RSA. Inclusion of the extensive phenotyping information with the recently developed genomic resources of sorghum will lead to mining of alleles that govern RSA and tailor a cultivar harboring genes for RSA that improve sorghum production under drought stress. This chapter provides an overview of the latest developments in RSA research in sorghum and gives direction to future breeding strategies to enhance the genetic gain for root traits

The LADM Valuation Information Model and its application to the Turkey case

Spatial data in a Land Administration (LA) establish a fundamental geospatial data theme (see UN GGIM, 2018) and the integrated geospatial information framework for any Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). Domain-specific standards, an integral component of the SDI, play an essential role to represent the semantics of domains, specify links between distributed registries and databases, and stimulate the development and implementation for Land Administration Systems (LAS). As an international descriptive standard providing an abstract conceptual schema, the ISO 19152:2012 Land Administration Domain Model (LADM) has been used and is being used as a reference for the implementation of LAS. Various approaches have been used for the LADM implementation that includes elaborating (via a country profile) and realizing a technical model suitable for the implementation (van Oosterom and Lemmen, 2015). LADM focuses on a specific function of LA that is interested in Rights, Responsibilities and Restrictions (RRR) affecting land, and the geometrical components thereof. The land value function of LA is considered outside the scope in the first edition. Recently, for extending the flexible and modular basis of the LADM, a valuation information model is developed for the specification of valuation information maintained by public authorities. It identifies the links between property valuation and the other LA registries and databases (e.g., cadastre, land registry, building and dwelling registries) that may enable interoperability across systems. The conceptual schema of the model provides a common basis to direct the development of local and national valuation databases and information technology products and services, following an approach similar to the LADM implementation. The proposed LADM Valuation Information Model is on the agenda of the development of the second edition of LADM within ISO/TC211. The operability of the newly proposed conceptual model needs to be evaluated through technical implementation. This paper describes the development of a prototype for the implementation of the LADM Valuation Information Model and assesses its operability through a case study for Turkey. The primary aim of the paper is to test the capabilities of the LADM Valuation Information Model using the required and produced data in recurrent valuation processes, but not to build a specific information management system for Turkey. As the implementation of a LADM compliant prototype initially requires the development of a country profile at conceptual level, methodologies applied for LADM profile development are examined and then a Turkish LADM Valuation Information Model country profile is proposed using the Conceptual Schema Languages (CSL) of the Unified Modelling Language (UML) and INTERLIS. INTERLIS is a formal language as well as a set of software tools that support LADM implementations. Subsequently, approaches and tools used in the LADM implementation are investigated and utilized for the automated transformations from the country profile to several technical models. In this context, the article presents the experiences gained during the implementations. Moreover, strategies for implementing and managing property valuation information more efficiently (e.g. bi-temporal aspects of valuation information management) are also studied and applied to the implementation. The generated technical models are then populated with sample datasets related to recurrent property valuation including the geometries of valuation units, as well as valuation information covering several years. The developed prototype is then tested through a number of queries to assess whether the LADM Valuation Information Model fulfils information management needs of recurrent valuations. The main contribution of this paper is to provide a holistic approach on how to develop an LADM conformant prototype for managing property valuation information

Refining the survey model of the LADM ISO 19152–2: Land registration

Cadastral surveying involves the delineation of property boundaries and the extent and documentation of easements and restrictions (imposed by private or public law), forming the foundation for Land Administration (LA). Survey models and processes constitute vital parts of Cadastres and Land Administration Systems (LASs). However, these models are often inadequately documented and lack standardization in practice. To address the global diversity and complexity of legal and administrative challenges in LA, standardization efforts have yielded the ISO 19152:2012 (ISO, 2012) Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), the Global Land Tool Network's (GLTN) Social Tenure Domain Model (STDM), and the OGC LandInfra/InfraGML standard. The current edition of the LADM focuses on standardised conceptual modelling of LA-related information, including a dedicated sub-package for Spatial and Surveying representation. As part of the ongoing LADM revision, a refined survey model is being developed to support a broad range of surveying and data acquisition approaches and levels of accuracy. Recognizing that surveying technology is not bound by national practices and regulations, this paper focuses specifically on the surveying aspect of LADM. It illustrates that the proposed refined survey model is applicable not only to conventional real property formation but also to participatory land rights recordation processes. The approach adopted in this research is technology-neutral, accommodating the ongoing evolution of surveying technology. It offers support for a broad range of surveying and data acquisition approaches, with varying levels of accuracy. As the demand for high-precision positioning has been persistent within the land mapping and surveying community, particularly since the initial adoption of GPS, aiming to achieve centimetre-level accuracies (initially confined to local services), the paper addresses the fundamental principles of the High Accuracy Service (HAS) concept within the proposed model. The main results presented in this paper are the conceptual model of the refined survey model of LADM Edition II (ISO19152–2), as well as an abstract, reference, cadastral surveying workflow following the principles of the proposed model

A physiological framework to explain genetic and environmental regulation of tillering in sorghum

Tillering determines the plant size of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and an understanding of its regulation is important to match genotypes to prevalent growing conditions in target production environments. The aim of this study was to determine the physiological and environmental regulation of variability in tillering among sorghum genotypes, and to develop a framework for this regulation. * Diverse sorghum genotypes were grown in three experiments with contrasting temperature, radiation and plant density to create variation in tillering. Data on phenology, tillering, and leaf and plant size were collected. A carbohydrate supply/demand (S/D) index that incorporated environmental and genotypic parameters was developed to represent the effects of assimilate availability on tillering. Genotypic differences in tillering not explained by this index were defined as propensity to tiller (PTT) and probably represented hormonal effects. * Genotypic variation in tillering was associated with differences in leaf width, stem diameter and PTT. The S/D index captured most of the environmental effects on tillering and PTT most of the genotypic effects. * A framework that captures genetic and environmental regulation of tillering through assimilate availability and PTT was developed, and provides a basis for the development of a model that connects genetic control of tillering to its phenotypic consequences

Drought adaptation of stay-green sorghum is associated with canopy development, leaf anatomy, root growth, and water uptake

Stay-green sorghum plants exhibit greener leaves and stems during the grain-filling period under water-limited conditions compared with their senescent counterparts, resulting in increased grain yield, grain mass, and lodging resistance. Stay-green has been mapped to a number of key chromosomal regions, including Stg1, Stg2, Stg3, and Stg4, but the functions of these individual quantitative trait loci (QTLs) remain unclear. The objective of this study was to show how positive effects of Stg QTLs on grain yield under drought can be explained as emergent consequences of their effects on temporal and spatial water-use patterns that result from changes in leaf-area dynamics. A set of four Stg near-isogenic lines (NILs) and their recurrent parent were grown in a range of field and semicontrolled experiments in southeast Queensland, Australia. These studies showed that the four Stg QTLs regulate canopy size by: (1) reducing tillering via increased size of lower leaves, (2) constraining the size of the upper leaves; and (3) in some cases, decreasing the number of leaves per culm. In addition, they variously affect leaf anatomy and root growth. The multiple pathways by which Stg QTLs modulate canopy development can result in considerable developmental plasticity. The reduction in canopy size associated with Stg QTLs reduced pre-flowering water demand, thereby increasing water availability during grain filling and, ultimately, grain yield. The generic physiological mechanisms underlying the stay-green trait suggest that similar Stg QTLs could enhance post-anthesis drought adaptation in other major cereals such as maize, wheat, and rice

QTL analysis in multiple sorghum populations facilitates the dissection of the genetic and physiological control of tillering

Tillering in sorghum can be associated with either the carbon supply–demand (S/D) balance of the plant or an intrinsic propensity to tiller (PTT). Knowledge of the genetic control of tillering could assist breeders in selecting germplasm with tillering characteristics appropriate for their target environments. The aims of this study were to identify QTL for tillering and component traits associated with the S/D balance or PTT, to develop a framework model for the genetic control of tillering in sorghum. Four mapping populations were grown in a number of experiments in south east Queensland, Australia. The QTL analysis suggested that the contribution of traits associated with either the S/D balance or PTT to the genotypic differences in tillering differed among populations. Thirty-four tillering QTL were identified across the populations, of which 15 were novel to this study. Additionally, half of the tillering QTL co-located with QTL for component traits. A comparison of tillering QTL and candidate gene locations identified numerous coincident QTL and gene locations across populations, including the identification of common non-synonymous SNPs in the parental genotypes of two mapping populations in a sorghum homologue of MAX1, a gene involved in the control of tiller bud outgrowth through the production of strigolactones. Combined with a framework for crop physiological processes that underpin genotypic differences in tillering, the co-location of QTL for tillering and component traits and candidate genes allowed the development of a framework QTL model for the genetic control of tillering in sorghum

Drought adaptation of stay-green sorghum is associated with canopy development, leaf anatomy, root growth, and water uptake

Stay-green sorghum plants exhibit greener leaves and stems during the grain-filling period under water-limited conditions compared with their senescent counterparts, resulting in increased grain yield, grain mass, and lodging resistance. Stay-green has been mapped to a number of key chromosomal regions, including Stg1, Stg2, Stg3, and Stg4, but the functions of these individual quantitative trait loci (QTLs) remain unclear. The objective of this study was to show how positive effects of Stg QTLs on grain yield under drought can be explained as emergent consequences of their effects on temporal and spatial water-use patterns that result from changes in leaf-area dynamics. A set of four Stg near-isogenic lines (NILs) and their recurrent parent were grown in a range of field and semicontrolled experiments in southeast Queensland, Australia. These studies showed that the four Stg QTLs regulate canopy size by: (1) reducing tillering via increased size of lower leaves, (2) constraining the size of the upper leaves; and (3) in some cases, decreasing the number of leaves per culm. In addition, they variously affect leaf anatomy and root growth. The multiple pathways by which Stg QTLs modulate canopy development can result in considerable developmental plasticity. The reduction in canopy size associated with Stg QTLs reduced pre-flowering water demand, thereby increasing water availability during grain filling and, ultimately, grain yield. The generic physiological mechanisms underlying the stay-green trait suggest that similar Stg QTLs could enhance post-anthesis drought adaptation in other major cereals such as maize, wheat, and rice