Genome-wide association study and metabolic pathway prediction of barrenness in maize as a response to high planting density

Increasing the planting density is one way to enhance grain production in maize.However,high planting density brings about growth and developmental defects such as barrenness,which is the major factor limiting grain yield.In this study,the barrenness was characterized in an association panel comprising 280 inbred lines under normal(67500 plants ha–1,ND)and high(120000 plants ha–1,HD)planting densities in 2017 and 2018.The population was genotyped using 776254 single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)markers with criteria of minor allele frequency>5%and<20%missing data.A genome-wide association study(GWAS)was conducted for barrenness under ND and HD,as well as the barrenness ratio(HD/ND),by applying a Mixed Linear Model that controls both population structure and relative kinship(Q+K).In total,20 SNPs located in nine genes were significantly(P<6.44×10–8)associated with barrenness under the different planting densities.Among them,seven SNPs for barrenness at ND and HD were located in two genes,four of which were common under both ND and HD.In addition,13 SNPs for the barrenness ratio were located in seven genes.A complementary pathway analysis indicated that the metabolic pathways of amino acids,such as glutamate and arginine,and the mitogen-activated protein kinase(MAPK)signaling pathway might play important roles in tolerance to high planting density.These results provide insights into the genetic basis of high planting density tolerance and will facilitate high yield maize breeding.

Synergistic mechanisms of AMF and biochar driving rhizosphere fungal community in shallot in barren soil

The addition of biochar(BC)or Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi(AMF)alone has been reported to promote plant growth,while their synergistic effects on Allium schoenoprasum root morphology and rhizosphere fungal community in barren soil is still unclear.In this study,we investigated the effects of BC and AMF(Funneliformis mosseae)on plant growth and root morphology in barren soil and revealed the structure of soil fungal communities Therefore,a greenhouse pot trial consisting of five treatments was enforced.The results showed that the combination of biochar and AMF significantly improved plant biomass,nutrient uptake,mycorrhizal colonization rates and soil properties and significantly impacted rhizosphere fungal community composition and structure.Biochar significantly increased the fungal community stability and enhanced their positive correlation with plants.Our findings indicated that the combination of AMF and biochar play synergic role for plant growth and rhizosphere fungal community in barren soil.

基于混合团树的贝叶斯网络智能推理算法

提出了一种基于混合团树的智能推理体系架构,利用原始贝叶斯网络中变量之间的依赖关系对连接树进行改造,使得在推理过程中满足以下两个优势:(1)它能直接消除与证据和查询的无关的变量集,使得混合团树得以缩减为更小规模的二级树状结构,进而使消息不必在所有节点中传播;(2)它继承了连接树传播算法中可以重复利用混合团树中预先储存的信息进行加速推理.

Single-qubit quantum classifier based on gradient-free optimization algorithm

A single-qubit quantum classifier(SQC)based on a gradient-free optimization(GFO)algorithm,named the GFO-based SQC,is proposed to overcome the effects of barren plateaus caused by quantum devices.Here,a rotation gate R_(X)(φ)is applied on the single-qubit binary quantum classifier,and the training data and parameters are loaded intoφin the form of vector multiplication.The cost function is decreased by finding the value of each parameter that yields the minimum expectation value of measuring the quantum circuit.The algorithm is performed iteratively for all parameters one by one until the cost function satisfies the stop condition.The proposed GFO-based SQC is demonstrated for classification tasks in Iris and MNIST datasets and compared with the Adam-based SQC and the quantum support vector machine(QSVM).Furthermore,the performance of the GFO-based SQC is discussed when the rotation gate in the quantum device is under different types of noise.The simulation results show that the GFO-based SQC can reach a high accuracy in reduced time.Additionally,the proposed GFO algorithm can quickly complete the training process of the SQC.Importantly,the GFO-based SQC has a good performance in noisy environments.

A Way to Rootedness: Traveling in Tender Is the Night

Traveling is one major theme of Fitzgerald's novel Tender Is the Night. This fashionable activity for the 1920 s Americans is represented in the novel as ostensibly bearing different meanings to the main characters, but a deeper look would reveal that it is unanimously resorted to as a weapon against the spiritual barrenness caused by the cult of business, and more importantly, as a way to the experience of rootedness.

P^(73)蛋白表达与老年Barrett食管及其腺癌发生、发展和预后的相关性

目的 探讨P73蛋白与老年人Barrett食管和Barrett腺癌发生、发展和预后的关系。方法 应用免疫组化SABC法检测P73蛋白在 2 8例Barrett食管 (BE)和 6例Barrett腺癌 (BA)中的表达情况。结果 恶性组P73蛋白表达率明显低于癌前病变组和良性组 (P <0 0 5) ,生存 5年以上的老年人Barrett食管和Barrett腺癌中P73蛋白的表达率明显高于生存 5年以下者 (P <0 0 5)。结论 P73蛋白表达有助于判断老年人Barrett食管的良、恶性 ,可用于辅助监测老年人Barrett食管的发生、发展 ,以便早期发现癌变 ,同时可作为判断患者预后的一个参考指标。

The effect of elevating temperature on the growth and development of reproductive organs and yield of summer maize

Compared to other crops,maize production demands relatively high temperatures.However,temperatures exceeding 35℃lead to adverse effects on maize yield.High temperatures(≥35℃)are consistently experienced by summer maize during its reproductive growth stage in the North China Plain,which is likely to cause irreversible crop damage.This study investigated the effects of elevating temperature(ET)treatment on the yield component of summer maize,beginning at the 9th unfolding leaf stage and ending at the tasseling stage.Results demonstrated that continuous ET led to a decrease in the elongation rate and activity of silks and an elongated interval between anthesis and silking stages,and eventually decreased grain number at ear tip and reduced yield.Although continuous ET before tasseling damaged the anther structure,reduced pollen activity,delayed the start of the pollen shedding stage,and shortened the pollen shedding time,it was inferred,based on phenotypical and physiological traits,that continuous ET after the 9th unfolding leaf stage influenced ears and therefore may have more significant impacts.Overall,when maize plants were exposed to ET treatment in the ear reproductive development stage,the growth of ears and tassels was blocked,which increased the occurrence of barren ear tips and led to large yield losses.

Micro-textures in plagioclase from 1994-1995 eruption, Barren Island Volcano: Evidence of dynamic magma plumbing system in the Andaman subduction zone

A systematic account of micro-textures and a few compositional profiles of plagioclase from high-alumina basaltic aa lava erupted during the year 1994-1995, from Barren Island Volcano, NE India ocean, are presented for the first time. The identified micro-textures can be grouped into two categories： （i） Growth related textures in the form of coarse/fine-sieve morphology, fine-scale oscillatory zoning and resorption surfaces resulted when the equilibrium at the crystal-melt interface was fluctuated due to change in temperature or H20 or pressure or composition of the crystallizing melt; and （ii） morphological texture, like glomerocryst, synneusis, swallow-tailed crystal, microlite and broken crystals, formed by the influence of dynamic behavior of the crystallizing magma （convection, turbulence, degassing, etc.）. Each micro-texture has developed in a specific magmatic environment, accordingly, a first order magma plumbing model and crystallization dynamics are envisaged for the studied lava unit. Magma generated has undergone extensive fractional crystallization of An-rich plagioclase in stable magmatic environment at a deeper depth. Subsequently they ascend to a shallow chamber where the newly brought crystals and pre-existing crystals have undergone dynamic crystallization via dissolution-regrowth processes in a convective self- mixing environment. Such repeated recharge-recycling processes have produced various populations of plagioclase with different micro-textural stratigraphy in the studied lava unit. Intermittent degassing and eruption related decompression have also played a major role in the final stage of crystallization dynamics.

High-Order FEM Formulation for 3-D Slope Instability

High-order finite element method (FEM) formulation also referred to as spectral element method (SEM) formulation is currently implemented in this paper for 3-dimensional (3-D) elasto-plastic problems in stability assessment of large- scale slopes (vegetated and barren slopes) in different instability conditions such as seismic and saturation. We have reviewed the SEM formulation, and have sought its applicability for vegetated slopes. Utilizing p (high-order polynomial degree or spectral degrees) and h (mesh operation for quality meshing in required elemental budgets) refining techniques in the existing FEM, the complexity of problem domain can be well addressed in greater numerical stability. Unlike the existing FEM formulation, this high-order FEM employs the same integration and interpolation points to achieve a progressive response of the instability, which drastically reduces the computational costs (formation of diagonalized mass matrix) and offers significant benefits to slope instability computations for serial and parallel implementations. With this formulation, we have achieved the following three qualities in slope instability modeling: 1) geometric flexibility of the finite elements, 2) high computational efficiency, and 3) reliable spectral accuracy. A sample problem has also been presented in this paper, which has accommodated all aforesaid numerical qualities.

Regeneration of pitch pine (Pinus rigida) stands inhibited by fire suppression in Albany Pine Bush Preserve, New York

The Pine Barrens in New York State are dominated by pitch pine(Pinus ridgida) and scrub oaks(Quercus ilicifolia and Q. prinoides). With fire suppression over the last 90 years or so, P. rigida regeneration has become sparse, even in areas set aside to preserve this type of vegetation. We evaluated the effects of fire and an alternative disturbance(mechanical removal of vegetation)for increasing P. rigida regeneration in the Albany Pine Bush Preserve in eastern New York State. By comparing cover, diameter and height of P. rigida, Q. ilicifolia, Q.prinoides, and Vaccinium spp.(blueberry) growing on the sites with a known fire history, we documented structural and compositional changes in the vegetation since its establishment. We also compared sites on which Quercus sprouts were controlled through mechanical removal. In the years following a disturbance, height and cover of Q. ilicifolia increased continuously and the species became increasingly competitive. Both the density of P. rigida seedlings and Vaccinium cover decreased significantly as the diameter and height of Quercus increased. Our results confirmed that the dominance by P. rigida could be attributed to periodic fires at intervals of 20–25 years. We conclude that removing Q. ilicifolia can favor P. rigida dominance on the barren without fire by releasing pine seedlings from competition.

Gardaneh Salavat porphyry copper system: Is it about metal endowment or fertility of the porphyritic intrusion?

Gardaneh Salavat porphyry copper system is located in the northwest of Iran. It comprises a quartz diorite to diorite porphyritic intrusion that created extensive alteration haloes in the host rocks. Despite all technical considerations, the exploration activities did not yield to ore discovery. As the matter of fact, all of the geological,geophysical, and geochemical characteristics of a porphyry Cu-Au deposit exist but there is no economic mineralization. Detailed examinations suggest that the only reasonable explanation can be related to the infertility or low metal endowment of the porphyritic intrusion. The reasons include(1) anomalous ranges of Cu, Au, and Mo rather than economic ore grades,(2) weakly development of potassic alteration,(3) probably sulfur saturation of magma that occurred before intrusion emplacement in the host rocks, and(4) probably low metal endowment in the regional scale and the lack of known porphyry copper deposits in close neighborhoods. It is tried to test the proposed hypothesis with the introduced fertility indicators based on major and trace element geochemistry. However,current fertility indicators could not prove or reject the proposed hypothesis for Gardaneh Salavat porphyritic intrusion because of the high-K calc-alkaline to shoshonitic nature of the intrusive rocks together with the unavailability of relatively fresh/unaltered samples. This case study is notable to examine because(1) it shows that characterization of fertile from barren intrusions seems to be as important as vectoring towards concealed porphyry copper deposits, especially while dealing with deep exploration targets that are associated with high financial risks, and(2) it highlights the inefficiencies and uncertainties in introduced magma fertility indicators for porphyry copper intrusions. As a result, it is of high importance to conduct an overarching investigation on other possible fertility indicators as a fundamental need for the future of the exploration industry.

Characteristics of Algal Succession Following Rock Scraping at Imwon Area in the East Coast of Korea

Abstract This study was conducted to clarify the characteristics high-pressure water sprayer in the period from June 2010 to April 2011 of algal succession following rock scraping using hoe or We divided the research area off the eastern coast of Korean near Imwon into 3 categories depending upon the severity of the barren ground, i.e., the urchin barren-affected, urchin bar- ren-ongoing and urchin barren-free areas. In April 2011, in the urchin barren-affected area with 25 seaweed species, the cover per- centage and importance value （IV） of erustose coralline algae were higher than those of other species. In the urchin barren-ongoing area with 33 seaweed species, crustose coralline algae （mean IV=62%） as well as Sargassum sp. （mean IV=28%）, and Gelidium amansii （mean IV= 19%） were observed following rock scraping. In the urchin barren-free area where seaweed communities were relatively abundant with 42 species, a variety of algal species including G. amansii （mean IV = 32%） underwent algal succession. Overall, it was observed that, as an aspect of algal succession, the weaker the barren ground severity was, the more frequent and di- verse the seaweeds were, and the more complex the succession pattern was in the study. As an aspect of recovering algal community, rock scraping using hoe was shown to be superior to the method using high-pressure water spraying. Therefore, we conclude that rock scraping using hoe is a very effective strategy for recovering the algal community in urchin barren-ongoing area.

An insight to calculate soil conservation service

Quantifying soil conservation service is critical for sustainable land management. However, the traditional algo-rithm includes a gap between barren land and real soil erosion (BSERef), and its paradox is that a mass of barrenland rarely exists in ecologically adaptable areas with fertile soils, which might overestimate soil conservationservice. This study suggests a practical algorithm to effectively evaluate soil conservation service of differentecosystems. We propose a new algorithm based on the difference between cropland without control practicesand real soil erosion (CSERef), which is compared with the BSERef algorithm. Our results show that: (1) a nearlyfive times smaller mean soil conservation amount of cropland occurred in the CSERef algorithm (3.76×106 t·yr–1)than in the BSERef algorithm (20.04×106 t·yr–1);(2) land use has higher explanatory power for the spatial dif-ferentiation of soil conservation rate in the CSERef algorithm (15.93% – 46.34%) than in the BSERef algorithm(5.95% – 44.49%). Our results demonstrate that the BSERef algorithm overestimates the soil conservation serviceof cropland in ecologically adaptable areas, whereas the CSERef algorithm can effectively assess the influence ofland use change induced by anthropogenic activities on soil conservation service. Furthermore, we develop anassessment framework in terms of land use classification system following the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Theframework considers that for water bodies, there is no soil conservation service;for non-ecologically adaptable ar-eas (unused land) with vast barren lands and vegetation cover below 5%, the BSERef algorithm is recommended;the CSERef algorithm is suggested to use in ecologically adaptable areas (including woodland, grassland, crop-land and construction land). This assessment framework can provide scientific assistance for decision-makers toformulate strategies for sustainable land management.

Presence of Black Carbon in Soil due to Forest Fire in the New Jersey Pine Barrens

Fire is an important ecological factor and what constitutes appropriate fire management is much debated in the US and elsewhere. The role of fire as a source of greenhouse gases has been intensively investigated, but less is known about the production rate of the solid black carbon residue from fires. Black carbon accumulates in soil as it has longer turnover times than plant residues. To understand the significance of black carbon production during wildfire, we quantified black carbon using hydropyrolysis in O and A horizons before and after a prescribed bum at four sites in the New Jersey Pine Barrens forest in the North-Eastern US. Black carbon was found in both O- and A-horizons at all investigated sites, stocks in the range of 61.31-168.15 g m^-2 in the O-horizon and 169.59-425.25 g m^-2 in the A-horizon. Total black carbon stocks did not increase following the fire suggesting that either black carbon production in fires may be small compared to the variability, or that equivalent amounts of black carbon formed in previous fires may have been consumed in the fire. The study raises questions about how black carbon production and consumption in ftres can be quantified separately.

Investigation on the Green Planting Situation of Dongchuan Barren Hills in Kunming City

Dongchuan District of Kunming City has undulating terrain with large fluctuations, fragile ecological environment, low rainfall and high evaporation, coupled with frequent debris flow activities, resulting in very low forest coverage rate in Dongchuan. In this study, a comprehensive and systematic investigation was carried out to the green planting of barren hills in Dongchuan District from January to June, 2016. The results showed that the major planting tree species in the region with an altitude of less than 1 600 m were Leucaena leucocephala, Cupressus torulosa, L. leucocephala, C. torulosa, Celtis yunnanensis, Melia azedarach , among which L. leucocephala had become of pioneer tree species of afforestation in the Dongchuan dry-hot valley. The major planting tree species at the altitude of 1 600-2 500 m were C. torulosa, Sabina chinensis, Alnus nepalensis, C. yunnanensis, and Pinus armandi , and at the altitude of over 2 500 m, the major tree species were Sabina chinensis, Abies georgei var. smithii, P.densata. Based on the investigation, suggestions were proposed for the existing problems in the greening and planting of Dongchuan barren hills, in order to provide certain theoretical basis for the sustainable development of forestry in Dongchuan.

Assessing the Impacts of Summer Range on Bathurst Caribou’s Productivity and Abundance since 1985

Barren ground caribou are one of the most important natural resources for northern aboriginal peoples in Canada, and their responsible management has been identified as a top priority by northern communities and governments. This study is aimed to assess the impacts of summer range forage availability and quality on Bathurst caribou’s productivity and abundance. Despite well documented effects of habitat nutrition on individual animal, few studies have been able to link nutrition and population demographics in a quantitative fashion, probably because caribou productivity and abundance could be potentially affected by many factors (e.g., habitat, harvest, predators, diseases/parasites, extreme weather, climate change, industrial development, and pollution), and yet long-term data for many of these factors are not available. By determining the upper envelope curve between summer range indicators and caribou productivity, this study made such assessment possible. Our results indicate that summer range indicators derived from long-term remote sensing time series and climate records can explain 59% of the variation in late-winter calf:cow ratio during 1985 and 2012. As a measure of caribounet productvitiy, the late-winter calf:cow ratio, together with the mortality rate, in turn determined population dynamics.

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities associated with switchgrass(Panicum virgatum L.)in the acidic,oligotrophic pine barrens ecosystem

Arbuscular mycorrhizal(AM)fungi contribute globally to ecosystem services and play an important role in sustainable crop production.However,it is unclear which factors contribute most to their colonization and community structure at different sites,particularly in understudied ecosystems.This study investigated the AM fungal communities associated with switchgrass(Panicum virgatum L.)in the understudied acidic and oligotrophic pine barrens ecosystem using next-generation sequencing.Switchgrass was also sampled from agroecosystems,as well as,from a native prairie for comparison.The pine barrens switchgrass harbored a distinct AM fungal community−Acaulospora and Ambispora were almost exclusively found in the pine barrens sites,and some of these species may represent undescribed taxa.Glomus was the most ubiquitous AM fungal genus recovered from all sites.This study suggests differences in the AM fungal community structure under different soil properties and land uses.This is the first sequence-based report of the AM fungal communities in the pine barrens ecosystem.

Taming Sand With Science

Innovation empowers the battle against desertification and sandification in China,With birds chirping and lushplants swaying in the breeze,the shelterbelts intheoncebarrensand sea inAlxa Left Banner,a county-level administrative division,are brimming with vitality.

REFERENCE COMMUNITY: ADAPTING NATIVE PLANTS TO NORTH AMERICAN GREEN ROOFS

The North American design community typically regards green roofs as inhospitable environments for native plants due to the infrastructure’s characteristic thin soils,low organic matter,temperature fluctuations,and wind exposure.Consequently,green roofs are often planted with an industry-standard palette of non-native Sedum and Phedimus species that are adept at withstanding stress,but lack biodiversity and visual interest,and offer little food or shelter to native birds and insects.Regionally specific reference plant communities that thrive in similarly harsh growing conditions can positively influence green roof design throughout North America,and consequently provide ecosystem services,contribute to habitat conservation,and increase human exposure to the beauty and benefits of native plants.

Practice of barren hilly land consolidation and its impact:A typical case study from Fuping County, Hebei Province of China

Land is the root of rural revitalization, and its core is to reinvigorate land resources through the building up of land capacity. Since the late 1990s, land consolidation efforts have been widely extended to all parts of China. Land consolidation has served as an essential instrument for reinvigorating stock land, strengthening intensive land use, timely supplementing cultivated land, and promoting agricultural modernization, as well as urban-rural integration. This study uses a typical poor village(Dadao Village) in a state-designated impoverished county(Fuping County, Hebei Province), to analyze the socioeconomic benefits and eco-environmental impacts of land consolidation. With the aid of first-hand data from questionnaire surveys, face-to-face interviews and the visual interpretation of land use and land cover changes(LUCC), we found that: 1) the barren hilly land consolidation(BHLC)helps to promote the transformation of resource-advantages into asset-advantages in poverty-stricken areas. In 2017, 60.16% households in the study area gained the additional transferred-income with an annual average of 2843 yuan, while 19.11% households received the wage-income with an annual average of 9871 yuan. 2) Land consolidation inspires farmers' enthusiasm to participate in village government and helps alleviate rural poverty. From 2014 to 2017, land consolidation has helped 585 poor in the village out of poverty. Meanwhile,by land consolidation, most farmers' attitudes towards land consolidation have shifted from"not caring" to "have great concern," and their identity cognition has gradually changed from being bystanders to becoming decision makers and supervisors. 3) Further analysis demonstrated that land consolidation could not only increase the quantity and quality of arable land,but also have a certain impact on eco-environment. During 2014–2016, the BHLC in the study area transformed 242.12 ha unused barren hilly land and open forest land into well-facilitated arable land, and increased the average arable land by 0.19 ha per capita. Also, the index of land use intensity increased by 27.01% between 2014 and 2016. Farmers' perceptions of environmental awareness have confirmed that such high-intensity LUCC were significant enough to make two-side impacts on eco-environment. We appeal to establish a combined organization and encouragement mechanism of rural land consolidation, to take the full breadth and depth of farmers' participation into consideration, and to formulate more scientific and sustainable land consolidation planning. Also, we put forward some suggestions and notes for the implementation and promotion of BHLC model. These findings can provide beneficial references for those involved in policymaking and planning in the areas of land consolidation and poverty alleviation in China, as well as other developing countries around the world.