Variation in actual relationship among descendants of inbred individuals

In previous analyses, the variation in actual, or realized, relationship has been derived as a function of map length of chromosomes and type of relationship, the variation being greater the shorter the total chromosome length and the coefficient of variation being greater the more distant the relationship. Here, the results are extended to allow for the relatives' ancestor being inbred. Inbreeding of a parent reduces variation in actual relationship among its offspring, by an amount that depends on the inbreeding level and the type of mating that led to that level. For descendants of full-sibs, the variation is reduced in later generations, but for descendants of half-sibs, it is increased

Home Ranges and Spatial Organization of Fishers, Martes pennanti, in Central British Columbia

We described the size and spatial arrangement of aggregate and seasonal home ranges for 17 radio-tagged resident Fishers (Martes pennanti) that were >1.5 years old in two areas of central British Columbia during 1990-1993 and 1996-2000. We estimated home range size for each Fisher from the 95% isopleth of the utilization distribution generated using a fixed kernel model with smoothing selected by least-squares cross-validation (95% FK). For comparison to previous studies, we also calculated the minimum convex polygon estimate of home range size (MCP) for each animal. The aggregate home ranges (95% FK) of female Fishers (mean = 37.9 km², SD = 18.5, range = 10.5 – 81.2, n = 11) were significantly smaller than those of males (mean = 161.3 km², SD = 100.0, range = 46.0 – 225.2, n = 3; P = 0.019). We observed minor overlap among 95% FK home ranges of Fishers of the same sex, but considerable overlap among home ranges of males and females. Home ranges (95% FK or MCP) that we observed in central British Columbia were larger than those reported elsewhere in North America, particularly for males. We suggest that the distribution of resources for Fishers may occur at lower gross densitiesin central British Columbia than in other portions of the Fisher’s range and that suitable habitat in which Fishers can establish home ranges is not found uniformly across the landscape

Fractal Characterizations of MAX Statistical Distribution in Genetic Association Studies

Two non-integer parameters are defined for MAX statistics, which are maxima of $d$ simpler test statistics. The first parameter, $d_{MAX}$, is the fractional number of tests, representing the equivalent numbers of independent tests in MAX. If the $d$ tests are dependent, $d_{MAX} < d$. The second parameter is the fractional degrees of freedom $k$ of the chi-square distribution $\chi^2_k$ that fits the MAX null distribution. These two parameters, $d_{MAX}$ and $k$, can be independently defined, and $k$ can be non-integer even if $d_{MAX}$ is an integer. We illustrate these two parameters using the example of MAX2 and MAX3 statistics in genetic case-control studies. We speculate that $k$ is related to the amount of ambiguity of the model inferred by the test. In the case-control genetic association, tests with low $k$ (e.g. $k=1$) are able to provide definitive information about the disease model, as versus tests with high $k$ (e.g. $k=2$) that are completely uncertain about the disease model. Similar to Heisenberg's uncertain principle, the ability to infer disease model and the ability to detect significant association may not be simultaneously optimized, and $k$ seems to measure the level of their balance

Future policy implications of tidal energy array interactions

Tidal stream energy technology has progressed to a point where commercial exploitation of this sustainable resource is practical, but tidal physics dictates interactions between tidal farms that raise political, legal and managerial challenges that are yet to be met. Fully optimising the design of a turbine array requires its developer to know about other farms that will be built nearby in the future. Consequently future developments, even those in adjacent channels, have the potential to impact on project efficiency. Here we review the relevant physics, consider the implications for marine policy, and discuss potential solutions. Possible management paths range from minimal regulation to prioritise a free market, to strongly interventionist approaches that prioritise efficient resource use. An attractive exemplar of the latter is unitization, an approach to resource allocation widely used in the oil and gas industry. We argue that an interventionist approach is necessary if the greatest possible energy yield is to be produced for a given level of environmental impact

An 8-Year, High-Resolution Reanalysis of Atmospheric CO2 Mixing Ratios Based on OCO-2 and GOSAT-ACOS Retrievals

The NASA GMAO (Global Modeling and Assimilation Office) reanalysis blends OCO-2 (Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2) and GOSAT-ACOS (Greenhouse Gases Observing Satellite-Atmospheric Carbon Observations from Space) retrievals (top) with GEOS (Goddard Earth Observing System) model predictions (bottom) to estimate the full 3D (three-dimensional) state of CO2 every 3 hours (middle). This poster describes monthly atmospheric growth rates derived from the reanalysis and an application to aircraft data with the potential to aid bias correction

A difference boosting neural network for automated star-galaxy classification

In this paper we describe the use of a new artificial neural network, called the difference boosting neural network (DBNN), for automated classification problems in astronomical data analysis. We illustrate the capabilities of the network by applying it to star galaxy classification using recently released, deep imaging data. We have compared our results with classification made by the widely used Source Extractor (SExtractor) package. We show that while the performance of the DBNN in star-galaxy classification is comparable to that of SExtractor, it has the advantage of significantly higher speed and flexibility during training as well as classification.Comment: 9 pages, 1figure, 7 tables, accepted for publication in Astronomy and Astrophysic

The Ability of GeoCarb to Constrain the Interannual Variability of Carbon Gases over the Amazon

We perform a number of idealized assimilation experiments with the GEOS constituent data assimilation system to test the ability of GeoCarb retrievals of CO, CO2, and CH4 to constrain the interannual variability of these gases over the Amazon. Retrievals for instruments on other satellites which observe in similar channels (e.g. MOPITT, GOSAT, and OCO-2) are limited due to persistent cloud coverage. Given its ability to sample the same location multiple times in one day, the expectation is that GeoCarb retrievals will return more soundings than those from previous missions. The goal of the assimilation experiments is to understand which scanning strategies lead to the best sounding densities and thus have the best chance of constraining interannual variability in the carbon species. The experiments each begin by picking a given year at random from a nature run (i.e., a model simulation meant to represent the truth). The model fields are sampled according to a given strategy and then screened to account for cloud coverage. Next, we pick another year at random and assimilate the synthetic GeoCarb samples into the GEOS model for that year. The output of the assimilation, 6-hourly, 3D fields of each constituent, is then directly comparable to the nature run. This comparison allows us to evaluate the ability of GeoCarb measurements to constrain the interannual variability of each gas