Unique and conserved MicroRNAs in wheat chromosome 5D revealed by next-generation sequencing

MicroRNAs are a class of short, non-coding, single-stranded RNAs that act as post-transcriptional regulators in gene expression. miRNA analysis of Triticum aestivum chromosome 5D was performed on 454 GS FLX Titanium sequences of flow sorted chromosome 5D with a total of 3,208,630 good quality reads representing 1.34x and 1.61x coverage of the short (5DS) and long (5DL) arms of the chromosome respectively. In silico and structural analyses revealed a total of 55 miRNAs; 48 and 42 miRNAs were found to be present on 5DL and 5DS respectively, of which 35 were common to both chromosome arms, while 13 miRNAs were specific to 5DL and 7 miRNAs were specific to 5DS. In total, 14 of the predicted miRNAs were identified in wheat for the first time. Representation (the copy number of each miRNA) was also found to be higher in 5DL (1,949) compared to 5DS (1,191). Targets were predicted for each miRNA, while expression analysis gave evidence of expression for 6 out of 55 miRNAs. Occurrences of the same miRNAs were also found in Brachypodium distachyon and Oryza sativa genome sequences to identify syntenic miRNA coding sequences. Based on this analysis, two other miRNAs: miR1133 and miR167 were detected in B. distachyon syntenic region of wheat 5DS. Five of the predicted miRNA coding regions (miR6220, miR5070, miR169, miR5085, miR2118) were experimentally verified to be located to the 5D chromosome and three of them : miR2118, miR169 and miR5085, were shown to be 5D specific. Furthermore miR2118 was shown to be expressed in Chinese Spring adult leaves. miRNA genes identified in this study will expand our understanding of gene regulation in bread wheat

Chromosome Bin Map of Expressed Sequence Tags in Homoeologous Group 1 of Hexaploid Wheat and Homoeology With Rice and Arabidopsis

A total of 944 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) generated 2212 EST loci mapped to homoeologous group 1 chromosomes in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). EST deletion maps and the consensus map of group 1 chromosomes were constructed to show EST distribution. EST loci were unevenly distributed among chromosomes 1A, 1B, and 1D with 660, 826, and 726, respectively. The number of EST loci was greater on the long arms than on the short arms for all three chromosomes. The distribution of ESTs along chromosome arms was nonrandom with EST clusters occurring in the distal regions of short arms and middle regions of long arms. Duplications of group 1 ESTs in other homoeologous groups occurred at a rate of 35.5%. Seventy-five percent of wheat chromosome 1 ESTs had significant matches with rice sequences (E ≤ e(−10)), where large regions of conservation occurred between wheat consensus chromosome 1 and rice chromosome 5 and between the proximal portion of the long arm of wheat consensus chromosome 1 and rice chromosome 10. Only 9.5% of group 1 ESTs showed significant matches to Arabidopsis genome sequences. The results presented are useful for gene mapping and evolutionary and comparative genomics of grasses

Control of flowering time and spike development in cereals: the earliness per se Eps-1 region in wheat, rice, and Brachypodium

The earliness per se gene Eps-Am1 from diploid wheat Triticum monococcum affects heading time, spike development, and spikelet number. In this study, the Eps1 orthologous regions from rice, Aegilops tauschii, and Brachypodium distachyon were compared as part of current efforts to clone this gene. A single Brachypodium BAC clone spanned the Eps-Am1 region, but a gap was detected in the A. tauschii physical map. Sequencing of the Brachypodium and A. tauschii BAC clones revealed three genes shared by the three species, which showed higher identity between wheat and Brachypodium than between them and rice. However, most of the structural changes were detected in the wheat lineage. These included an inversion encompassing the wg241-VatpC region and the presence of six unique genes. In contrast, only one unique gene (and one pseudogene) was found in Brachypodium and none in rice. Three genes were present in both Brachypodium and wheat but were absent in rice. Two of these genes, Mot1 and FtsH4, were completely linked to the earliness per se phenotype in the T. monococcum high-density genetic map and are candidates for Eps-Am1. Both genes were expressed in apices and developing spikes, as expected for Eps-Am1 candidates. The predicted MOT1 protein showed amino acid differences between the parental T. monococcum lines, but its effect is difficult to predict. Future steps to clone the Eps-Am1 gene include the generation of mot1 and ftsh4 mutants and the completion of the T. monococcum physical map to test for the presence of additional candidate genes

System of Measuring Projectile's Velocity and Setting Fuse in 35 mm Antiaircraft Ammunition

W artykule omówiono stan zaawansowania prac nad opracowaniem demonstratora technologii systemu programowania pocisku 35x228 mm do przeciwlotniczych zestawów artyleryjskich. Przedstawiono koncepcję, budowę systemu i zasadę działania. Ukazano drogę do wyboru optymalnego rozwiązania. Pokazano przewidywane trudności w realizacji projektu i propozycję ich rozwiązania. W trakcie realizacji projektu rozwojowego pt. "Opracowanie programowalnego naboju kalibru 35x228 do przeciwlotniczego zestawu artyleryjskiego LOARA" nr O R00 0019 08, realizowanego przez Konsorcjum w składzie: PW IMiP, CNPEP RADWAR SA, ZM MESKO SA oraz BUMAR Sp. z o.o., na podstawie umowy z MNiSW, wykonany zostanie demonstrator technologii systemu pomiaru prędkości wylotowej pocisku i programowania zapalnika, który będzie poddany badaniom strzelaniem.The concept of measuring projectile' s velocity and setting time of detonation in Air Bursting Ammunition. Experience in previous works over similar system. Expected difficulties in realization and suggested ways of dealing with them

The internet environment used for preliminary costing process of machining

Artykuł pokazuje zalety i możliwości wykorzystania internetowej aplikacji do szybkiego kosztorysowania obróbki skrawaniem. Przedstawiona jest próba zwiększenia jakości i efektywności pracy technologa poprzez przeniesienie aplikacji na środowisko internetowe.The paper shows advantages and operating potential of the Internet application for rapid costing of machining processes. There is described a trial to increase the efficiency of technologist's work by transfer the application to the Internet environment

Genetically modified plants - from the laboratory to practical application in European agriculture. Part II

Wprowadzanie roślin GM do środowiska jest nie tylko przedmiotem regulacji prawnych, ale również istotną kwestią podlegającą dyskusji naukowej i społecznej. W artykule przedstawiono zasady leżące u podstaw oceny ryzyka związanego ze stosowaniem GMO. Przytoczono wyniki licznych badań nad oddziaływaniem odmian GM dopuszczonych do uprawy na gatunki niedocelowe, obejmujące m.in. różne grupy stawonogów żyjących na uprawach GM i w ich otoczeniu. Dokładniej wyjaśniono przypadek oddziaływania kukurydzy GM na motyla monarcha w USA czy też odmian kukurydzy, buraka i rzepaku tolerujących herbicydy na populacje chwastów i żerujących na nich stawonogach i ptakach. Podkreślono konieczność prowadzenia badań opartych o poprawne metodyki. Podano wyniki pierwszych badań polowych prowadzonych w Polsce nad oddziaływaniem kukurydzy MON 810 na środowisko. Przedstawiono działania Europejskiego Urzędu ds. Bezpieczeństwa Żywności (EFSA) obejmujące: (a) budowanie wzajemnego zrozumienia zasad leżących u podstaw przeprowadzania analizy ryzyka dla nowych GMO i (b) zwiększenie przejrzystości w bieżących pracach pomiędzy państwami członkowskimi UE a urzędem i jego komisjami. Powołanie Naukowej Sieci krajowych ekspertów (EFSA Scientific Network) ma tę współpracę zapewnić. Podsumowano podstawy wykrywania i kontroli GMO w laboratoriach referencyjnych w Europie.The release of genetically modified plants into the environment is not only a subject of legal regulations, but also an important subject matter of the scientific and social debate. The article presents rules forming the basis of the risk assessment related to use of GMOs. It quotes the results of numerous studies concerning the impact of GMO varieties approved for cultivation on the nontarget species, including i.a. various groups of arthropods living in the area of GMO crops and in their vicinity. It also offers more precise explanations regarding the cases of the impact of genetically modified corn on the Monarch butterfly in the USA and the impact of herbicide-tolerant varieties of corn, beet and rapeseed on the populations of weeds as well as arthropods and birds feeding on them. Moreover, it underlines the necessity of conducting research based on correct methodologies and provides results of the first farm scale research conducted in Poland regarding the impact of MON 810 corn on the environment. Furthermore, it presents actions of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) encompassing: (a) building up mutual understanding of the rules forming the basis of risk assessment for new GMOs and (b) increasing transparency in current works among the EU Member States and EFSA and its committees. Setting up the EFSA Scientific Network is supposed to ensure that cooperation. Finally, the article summarizes the basics of GMO detection and control in the reference laboratories in Europe

Genetically modified plants - from the laboratory to practical use in European agriculture. Part I

Techniki biotechnologiczne umożliwiają hodowcy połączenie korzystnych cech z różnych organizmów. Roślina genetycznie zmodyfikowana zawiera gen lub geny, które zostały zmienione w wyniku działania człowieka metodami inżynierii genetycznej. Od 1996 r. obserwuje się stały wzrost areału upraw roślin zmodyfikowanych genetycznie na świecie, który w 2011 r. osiągnął powierzchnię 160 mln ha. Prawdopodobnie w przyszłości transgeniczność wielokrotna (ang. stacked events) będzie dominowała w nowych odmianach GM, łącząc cechy odporności na szkodniki, tolerancję na herbicydy i niekorzystne warunki środowiska, jak też cechy dotyczące składu związków roślinnych. W Unii Europejskiej i na świecie obowiązują uregulowania prawne kompleksowo obejmujące kwestie GMO. Unia Europejska ma jeden z bardziej restrykcyjnych systemów prawnych dotyczących GMO. Przepisy zapewniają ochronę środowiska, zdrowia zwierząt i człowieka oraz informację dla konsumenta. Wymagają też szczegółowego badania każdego GMO na poszczególnych etapach uzyskiwania zgody na użycie takich organizmów. Współistnienie różnych typów produkcji ma zapewnić rolnikom i konsumentom europejskim możliwość wyboru. Prawo UE stanowi podstawę dla uregulowań prawnych związanych z GMO, obowiązujących w Polsce.Biotechnological techniques enable the breeder to combine a number of favourable properties of different organisms. A genetically modified plant contains gene or genes that have been modified by humans using genetic engineering. Since 1996 a constant expansion of the area of genetically modified crops is observed throughout the world, reaching 160 million has. in 2011. It is likely that in the future stacked events will dominate in new GM varieties, combining properties such as resistance to pests and tolerance to herbicides and adverse environmental conditions, as well as various quality properties. The European Union and other countries have implemented comprehensive legal regulations on matters related to GMO. The EU has one of the more restrictive legal systems on GMO. Those regulations ensure the protection of the environment, human and animal health, and proper information for the consumer. The regulations also stipulate detailed analysis of each GMO at every stage of the process of approval for the use of such organisms. Coexistence of different types of crops is aimed at providing European farmers and consumers with choice options. The EU law is the basis for the legal regulations on GMO applicable in Poland

INLINING 3D RECONSTRUCTION, MULTI-SOURCE TEXTURE MAPPING AND SEMANTIC ANALYSIS USING OBLIQUE AERIAL IMAGERY

This paper proposes an in-line method for the simplified reconstruction of city buildings from nadir and oblique aerial images that at the same time are being used for multi-source texture mapping with minimal resampling. Further, the resulting unrectified texture atlases are analyzed for fac¸ade elements like windows to be reintegrated into the original 3D models. Tests on real-world data of Heligoland/ Germany comprising more than 800 buildings exposed a median positional deviation of 0.31 m at the fac¸ades compared to the cadastral map, a correctness of 67% for the detected windows and good visual quality when being rendered with GPU-based perspective correction. As part of the process building reconstruction takes the oriented input images and transforms them into dense point clouds by semi-global matching (SGM). The point sets undergo local RANSAC-based regression and topology analysis to detect adjacent planar surfaces and determine their semantics. Based on this information the roof, wall and ground surfaces found get intersected and limited in their extension to form a closed 3D building hull. For texture mapping the hull polygons are projected into each possible input bitmap to find suitable color sources regarding the coverage and resolution. Occlusions are detected by ray-casting a full-scale digital surface model (DSM) of the scene and stored in pixel-precise visibility maps. These maps are used to derive overlap statistics and radiometric adjustment coefficients to be applied when the visible image parts for each building polygon are being copied into a compact texture atlas without resampling whenever possible. The atlas bitmap is passed to a commercial object-based image analysis (OBIA) tool running a custom rule set to identify windows on the contained fac¸ade patches. Following multi-resolution segmentation and classification based on brightness and contrast differences potential window objects are evaluated against geometric constraints and conditionally grown, fused and filtered morphologically. The output polygons are vectorized and reintegrated into the previously reconstructed buildings by sparsely ray-tracing their vertices. Finally the enhanced 3D models get stored as textured geometry for visualization and semantically annotated ”LOD-2.5” CityGML objects for GIS applications

Computer aided estimation of machining costs taking advantage of data resources of a company

Zasoby danych firmy powinny zawierać informacje o projektowanych w przeszłości procesach obróbki skrawaniem. Informacje takie mogą być wykorzystywane do przyspieszenia i poprawy dokładności szacowania kosztów aktualnie projektowanych procesów obróbki. Można w tym celu użyć aplikacji relacyjnej bazy danych oraz techniki case-based reasoning. Tego rodzaju podejście jest omawiane w niniejszej pracy. Przedstawiono w niej zastosowaną strukturę przechowywania danych procesów obróbki oraz zasadnicze koncepcje ukształtowania interfejsu użytkownika aplikacji. Zaproponowano również sposób określania kryteriów podobieństwa przypadku aktualnego oraz przypadków zrealizowanych w przeszłości i odnalezionych w bazie danych.Data resources of the company should contain information about machining processes designed in the past. That information can be used to improve cost estimations for currently planned machining processes. The relational database application and case-based reasoning technique can be applied for that purpose. This approach is described in the paper. The data structure and basic concepts of the user interface are proposed. Some suggestions concerning formulating of similarity criteria for the current case and cases retrieved from the database are also presented