Two decades of pulsar timing of Vela

Pulsar timing at the Mt Pleasant observatory has focused on Vela, which can be tracked for 18 hours of the day. These nearly continuous timing records extend over 24 years allowing a greater insight into details of timing noise, micro glitches and other more exotic effects. In particular we report the glitch parameters of the 2004 event, along with the reconfirmation that the spin up for the Vela pulsar occurs instantaneously to the accuracy of the data. This places a lower limit of about 30 seconds for the acceleration of the pulsar to the new rotational frequency. We also confirm of the low braking index for Vela, and the continued fall in the DM for this pulsar.Comment: Isolated Neutron Stars conference, London, April 24-28 200

Response of maize inbred lines to two European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis) strains in Canada

Six lignées de maïs-grain (CM47, A619, F2, CM107, CM7 et A654) ont été évaluées en 1986 et 1987 dans quatre localités de l'Ontario et du Québec pour leur résistance à des infestations artificielles de la pyrale du maïs, Ostrinia nubilalis, de la race univoltine et de la première génération de la race bivoltine. Trois critères ont été utilisés: la criblure du feuillage, les dégâts totaux des plantes à la récolte, et le rapport longueur des galeries creusées par les chenilles dans les tiges sur la hauteur des plantes. Des interactions importantes ont été observées pour les critères utilisés entre les années et localités, mais la réaction des lignées de maïs a été plutôt constante. Pour tous les critères, la race univoltine a souvent causé, d'une façon significative, plus de dégâts aux plantes que la race bivoltine. En général, la lignée A619 a démontré le plus de résistance-tolérance tout en conservant une bonne tenue des tiges jusqu'à la récolte. On aurait avantage à utiliser la race univoltine dans les programmes d'amélioration génétique du maïs pour sa résistance à la pyrale.In 1986 and 1987, six maize inbred lines (CM47, A619, F2, CM107, CM7, and A654) were evaluated at four locations across Ontario and Quebec for their resistance to artificially infested univoltine and lst generation bivoltine strains of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis. Three criteria were used: leaf feeding, total plant damage at harvest and length of tunnels/plant height ratio. Substantial interactions in borer damage measurements were observed between locations and years, but inbred reaction was relatively consistent. For all criteria, the univoltine strain often caused significantly more damage than the bivoltine borer. In general, A619 had the greatest resistance-tolerance with good standability until harvest. Wherever possible, evaluation of genetic resistance in maize germplasm should be conducted using the univoltine borer strain

The Degasperis-Procesi equation as a non-metric Euler equation

In this paper we present a geometric interpretation of the periodic Degasperis-Procesi equation as the geodesic flow of a right invariant symmetric linear connection on the diffeomorphism group of the circle. We also show that for any evolution in the family of $b$-equations there is neither gain nor loss of the spatial regularity of solutions. This in turn allows us to view the Degasperis-Procesi and the Camassa-Holm equation as an ODE on the Fr\'echet space of all smooth functions on the circle.Comment: 17 page

Legume

These guidelines are divided into 2 parts. The first makes general recommendations on how best to move grain and fodder legume germplasm and breeding material. The second part covers the important viral, bacterial and fungal diseases of quarantine concern. The information given on any particular pathogen concentrates on those aspects most relevant to quarantine. An appendix lists Latin and vernacular (English, French, Spanish, German and other) names of major legume species. (Abstract © CAB ABSTRACTS, CAB International

Genome-wide interaction study of a proxy for stress-sensitivity and its prediction of major depressive disorder

Individual response to stress is correlated with neuroticism and is an important predictor of both neuroticism and the onset of major depressive disorder (MDD). Identification of the genetics underpinning individual differences in response to negative events (stress-sensitivity) may improve our understanding of the molecular pathways involved, and its association with stress-related illnesses. We sought to generate a proxy for stress-sensitivity through modelling the interaction between SNP allele and MDD status on neuroticism score in order to identify genetic variants that contribute to the higher neuroticism seen in individuals with a lifetime diagnosis of depression compared to unaffected individuals. Meta-analysis of genome-wide interaction studies (GWIS) in UK Biobank (N = 23,092) and Generation Scotland: Scottish Family Health Study (N = 7,155) identified no genome-wide significance SNP interactions. However, gene-based tests identified a genome-wide significant gene, ZNF366, a negative regulator of glucocorticoid receptor function implicated in alcohol dependence (p = 1.48x10-7; Bonferroni-corrected significance threshold p < 2.79x10-6). Using summary statistics from the stress-sensitivity term of the GWIS, SNP heritability for stress-sensitivity was estimated at 5.0%. In models fitting polygenic risk scores of both MDD and neuroticism derived from independent GWAS, we show that polygenic risk scores derived from the UK Biobank stress-sensitivity GWIS significantly improved the prediction of MDD in Generation Scotland. This study may improve interpretation of larger genome-wide association studies of MDD and other stress-related illnesses, and the understanding of the etiological mechanisms underpinning stress-sensitivity