We demonstrate that set-dependent multiplicative scatter correction and set-independent standard normal variate transformations of NIR spectra are linearly related as theoretically expected. It is shown that the mean and standard deviation of the set-mean-spectrum together with the correlation coefficient between each individual spectrum and set-mean-spectrum are required to link these two transformations. It is through these three quantities, that set-dependency is incorporated into spectra derived by application of multiplicative scatter correction. MSC and SNV are two alternative approaches to reduce particle size effects and they are interconvertible.

The photoproduction of eta-mesic 3He has been investigated using the TAPS calorimeter at the Mainz Microtron accelerator facility MAMI. The total inclusive cross section for the reaction gamma3He-->etaX has been measured for photon energies from threshold to 820 MeV. The total and angular differential coherent eta cross sections have been extracted up to energies of 745 MeV. A resonancelike structure just above the eta production threshold with an isotropic angular distribution suggests the existence of a resonant quasibound state. This is supported by studies of a competing decay channel of such a quasibound eta-mesic nucleus into pi(0)pX. A binding energy of (-4.4+/-4.2) MeV and a width of (25.6+/-6.1) MeV is deduced for the quasibound eta-mesic state in 3He.

Abstract. Photoproduction of neutral pions from nuclei (carbon, calcium, niobium, lead) has been studied for incident photon energies from 200 MeV to 800 MeV with the TAPS detector using the Glasgow photon tagging spectrometer at the Mainz MAMI accelerator. Data were obtained for the inclusive photoproduction of neutral pions and the partial channels of quasifree single π 0 , double π 0 , and π 0 π ± photoproduction. They have been analyzed in terms of the in-medium behavior of nucleon resonances and the pion -nucleus interaction. They are compared to earlier measurements from the deuteron and to the predictions of a Boltzmann-Uehling-Uhlenbeck (BUU) transport model for photon induced pion production from nuclei.

The reaction gammap-->pi(0)gamma'p has been measured with the TAPS calorimeter at the Mainz Microtron accelerator facility MAMI for energies between sqrt[s]=1221-1331 MeV. The cross section's differential in angle and energy have been determined for the photon gamma' in three bins of the excitation energy. This reaction channel provides access to the magnetic dipole moment of the Delta(+)(1232) resonance and, for the first time, a value of mu(Delta(+))=[2.7(+1.0)(-1.3)(stat)+/-1.5(syst)+/-3(theor)]mu(N) has been extracted.

Sk?t, L., Humphreys, M. O., Armstead, I. P., Heywood, S., Sk?t, K. P., Sanderson, R., Thomas, I. D., Chorlton, K. H., & Sackville Hamilton, N. R. (2005). An association mapping approach to identify flowering time genes in natural populations of Lolium perenne (L.). Molecular Breeding, 15(3), 233-245. Sponsorship: BBSRC RAE2008We describe an association mapping approach using natural populations of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) to identify molecular markers associated with heading date, an important trait affecting seasonal production, tillering, digestibility and grassland management regimes. Twenty-three natural populations originating from throughout Europe, with heading date phenotypes ranging from very early to very late, as well as three synthetic populations (varieties) were used for molecular marker genotyping using AFLP. In total, 589 polymorphic markers were identified. Hierarchical clustering, principal coordinate and other statistical analyses identified four outlying populations forming a clearly distinct sub-group. Removal of those four populations from the subsequent analysis reduced population sub-structure twofold. However, this made relatively little difference to the result of the association analysis. Linear regression identified three markers whose frequency of occurrence correlated with the heading date phenotype. Moreover, these markers were shown to be closely linked to each other within a major QTL on Chromosome 7, explaining 70% of the total variation in heading date. Pairwise linkage disequilibrium among them was also significant. These results suggest that association mapping approaches may be feasible in L. perenne, and that the use of natural populations could provide a useful source of genetic variation in traits of importance in crop improvement.Peer reviewe

Summary1. Enhancement of plant species diversity is often an objective in grassland management for wildlife conservation. Such management regimes may also change the species composition of soil seed banks, which may themselves affect future vegetation change. We compared soil seed banks and vegetation from a long-term meadow management trial and from a series of traditionally managed species-rich meadows in northern England, UK. 2. The management trial used three hay-cut date treatments (14 June, 21 July and 1 September), two fertilizer treatments [no fertilizer or 25 kg nitrogen ha -1 plus 12·5 kg ha -1 phosphate (P2O5) and potash (K2O)] and two seed-addition treatments (no seed, seed of many species sown 1990-92). Soil seed banks were assessed in 1998. Subsequent vegetation development under these treatments, and under an additional farmyard manure treatment, was assessed in 2000. 3. Most seed was in the 0-5-cm soil layer and most of the frequent species germinated in the autumn. Short-and long-term persistent seed banks were most abundant. The species composition of the seed banks and the vegetation in the trial, and in the traditionally managed meadows used as a control, were distinctly different, the meadow trial seed bank being the most uniform.4. An ordination of simulated plant communities based on the UK National Vegetation Classification provided a wider framework for comparing vegetation and seed banks with the species composition of British meadow communities, some of which are also found in Europe. The soil seed banks throughout the meadow trial plots and the control fields were very similar in species composition to that of the vegetation in agriculturally improved meadows. However, there were many more species in the soil seed bank of the traditionally managed control meadows. 5. In 2000, only the seed-addition treatment increased the species richness of the vegetation. Farmyard manure and mineral fertilizer had similar effects, increasing the cover of Poa trivialis and Rumex acetosa and decreasing the cover of Rhinanthus minor and Anthoxanthum odoratum. 6. It was concluded that the development of the soil seed bank probably lags behind increases in vegetation diversity initiated by seed sowing. This emphasizes the need to introduce additional species as seed when increased diversity is a target for the restoration management of previously intensively managed grasslands.

Miscanthus is a genus of perennial rhizomatous grasses with C4 photosynthesis which is indigenous in a wide geographic range of Asian climates. The sterile clone, Miscanthus × giganteus (M. × giganteus), is a naturally occurring interspecific hybrid that has been used commercially in Europe for biomass production for over a decade. Although, M. × giganteus has many outstanding performance characteristics including high yields and low nutrient offtakes, commercial expansion is limited by cloning rates, slow establishment to a mature yield, frost, and drought resistance. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of 13 novel germplasm types alongside M. × giganteus and horticultural “Goliath” in trials in six sites (in Germany, Russia, The Netherlands, Turkey, UK, and Ukraine). Mean annual yields across all the sites and genotypes increased from 2.3 ± 0.2 t dry matter ha−1 following the first year of growth, to 7.3 ± 0.3, 9.5 ± 0.3, and 10.5 ± 0.2 t dry matter ha−1 following the second, third, and fourth years, respectively. The highest average annual yields across locations and four growth seasons were observed for M. × giganteus (9.9 ± 0.7 t dry matter ha−1) and interspecies hybrid OPM-6 (9.4 ± 0.6 t dry matter ha−1). The best of the new hybrid genotypes yielded similarly to M. × giganteus at most of the locations. Significant effects of the year of growth, location, species, genotype, and interplay between these factors have been observed demonstrating strong genotype × environment interactions. The highest yields were recorded in Ukraine. Time needed for the crop establishment varied depending on climate: in colder climates such as Russia the crop has not achieved its peak yield by the fourth year, whereas in the hot climate of Turkey and under irrigation the yields were already high in the first growing season. We have identified several alternatives to M. × giganteus which have provided stable yields across wide climatic ranges, mostly interspecies hybrids, and also Miscanthus genotypes providing high biomass yields at specific geographic locations. Seed-propagated interspecific and intraspecific hybrids, with high stable yields and cheaper reliable scalable establishment remain a key strategic objective for breeders.

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