Canola seed as affected by swathing time

Non-Peer ReviewedYield, weight, protein content (oil-free meal) and oil content of canola seed increased as seeds developed. Maximum values were obtained between 45-49 days after flowering, when seed moisture was 29-38%. Fatty acid composition of canola seed oil changed during seed development. The proportion of oleic (C18:1) and linolenic (C18:3) acids increased, while that of most other fatty acids decreased, as seeds developed, while Eicosenoic (C20:1) and erucic (C22:1) acids did not show a clear trend. Fatty-acids tended to stabilize by the 49th day after flowering. Early seeding resulted in higher seed yield, larger seeds, lower seed protein content and higher seed oil content, when compared to late seeding

Feasibility study and design concept for an orbiting ice-penetrating radar sounder to characterize in three-dimensions the Europan ice mantle down to (and including) any ice/ocean interface

This report presents a radar sounding model based on the range of current working hypotheses for the nature of Europa's icy shell.Institute for Geophysic

Whole genome analysis of a schistosomiasis-transmitting freshwater snail

Biomphalaria snails are instrumental in transmission of the human blood fluke Schistosoma mansoni. With the World Health Organization's goal to eliminate schistosomiasis as a global health problem by 2025, there is now renewed emphasis on snail control. Here, we characterize the genome of Biomphalaria glabrata, a lophotrochozoan protostome, and provide timely and important information on snail biology. We describe aspects of phero-perception, stress responses, immune function and regulation of gene expression that support the persistence of B. glabrata in the field and may define this species as a suitable snail host for S. mansoni. We identify several potential targets for developing novel control measures aimed at reducing snail-mediated transmission of schistosomiasis

The western painted turtle genome, a model for the evolution of extreme physiological adaptations in a slowly evolving lineage

Background: We describe the genome of the western painted turtle, Chrysemys picta bellii, one of the most widespread, abundant, and well-studied turtles. We place the genome into a comparative evolutionary context, and focus on genomic features associated with tooth loss, immune function, longevity, sex differentiation and determination, and the species' physiological capacities to withstand extreme anoxia and tissue freezing.Results: Our phylogenetic analyses confirm that turtles are the sister group to living archosaurs, and demonstrate an extraordinarily slow rate of sequence evolution in the painted turtle. The ability of the painted turtle to withstand complete anoxia and partial freezing appears to be associated with common vertebrate gene networks, and we identify candidate genes for future functional analyses. Tooth loss shares a common pattern of pseudogenization and degradation of tooth-specific genes with birds, although the rate of accumulation of mutations is much slower in the painted turtle. Genes associated with sex differentiation generally reflect phylogeny rather than convergence in sex determination functionality. Among gene families that demonstrate exceptional expansions or show signatures of strong natural selection, immune function and musculoskeletal patterning genes are consistently over-represented.Conclusions: Our comparative genomic analyses indicate that common vertebrate regulatory networks, some of which have analogs in human diseases, are often involved in the western painted turtle's extraordinary physiological capacities. As these regulatory pathways are analyzed at the functional level, the painted turtle may offer important insights into the management of a number of human health disorders

The effect of climate on the yield and growth of canola in western Canada

Non-Peer ReviewedThe effect of temperature and precipitation on the yield and quality of Tobin canola has been determined by a statistical method known as regression analyses. The equations obtained from this analyses were used to show how an increase in maximum temperature in the growing season reduced yield, increased protein, decreased oil content and decreased time to maturity. The equations, also, showed that increased rainfall increased yield, decreased protein, and increased time to maturity. Lower minimum temperatures were associated with higher chlorophyll content of seed. The information could be used by farmers and researchers as an index of suitability of either Polish (Brassica rapa L.) or Argentine (Brassica napus L.) cultivars for production areas in the Province

Small Satellites and NOAA: A Technology Study

APL examined technology and space segment options for the polar orbiting spacecraft of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The principal finding is that the choice of satellite configuration, rather than the particular technology of flight hardware, is the dominant factor that can reduce space segment costs when viewed over a mission life-cycle. For example, the study shows that fewer than half the number of individual instruments-- many of which are quite expensive-- need be purchased and launched over a 15 year period if each of NOAA\u27s polar orbiting satellites were implemented as four small spacecraft rather than one large platform as is now the norm. This result is a direct consequence of NOAA\u27s operational mandate, for which data continuity from certain critical instruments is a mission requirement. These results generalize to any multiple-sensor scenario for which data continuity is a major consideration. It is concluded that a multiple small satellite space segment configuration may be more responsive to NOAA\u27s objectives, but only if the impacts on the ground segment can be shown to be acceptable, which requires further study