Molecular Marker Linkage Map for Apple

Linkage maps for two apple clones, White Angel and Rome Beauty, were constructed using isozyme and DNA polymorphisms segregating in a population produced from a Rome Beauty × White Angel cross. The linkage map for White Angel consists of 253 markers arranged in 24 linkage groups and extends over 950 cM. The Rome Beauty map contains 156 markers on 21 linkage groups. The White Angel map was taken as the standard, and we were able to identify linkage groups in Rome Beauty homologous to 13 White Angel linkage groups. The location of several genes not segregating in the Rome Beauty × White Angel population could be determined on the basis of known linkages with segregating markers. Hence, the standard map for apple now contains about 360 markers, with most linkage groups saturated at 10-15 cM. The double pseudotestcross format of the mapping population permitted the comparison of recombination frequencies in male and female parents in certain regions of the genome where appropriate markers were available. The recombination frequencies observed for the approximately 170 cM that were comparable gave no indication that a sex-related difference in recombination rate was characteristic of appl

Neutrophils, Crucial, or Harmful Immune Cells Involved in Coronavirus Infection: A Bioinformatics Study

The latest member of the Coronaviridae family, called SARS-CoV-2, causes the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). The disease has caused a pandemic and is threatening global health. Similar to SARS-CoV, this new virus can potentially infect lower respiratory tract cells and can go on to cause severe acute respiratory tract syndrome, followed by pneumonia and even death in many nations. The molecular mechanism of the disease has not yet been evaluated until now. We analyzed the GSE1739 microarray dataset including 10 SARS-positive PBMC and four normal PBMC. Co-expression network analysis by WGCNA suggested that highly preserved 833 turquoise module with genes were significantly related to SARS-CoV infection. ELANE, ORM2, RETN, BPI, ARG1, DEFA4, CXCL1, and CAMP were the most important genes involved in this disease according to GEO2R analysis as well. The GO analysis demonstrated that neutrophil activation and neutrophil degranulation are the most activated biological processes in the SARS infection as well as the neutrophilia, basophilia, and lymphopenia predicted by deconvolution analysis of samples. Thus, using Serpins and Arginase inhibitors during SARS-CoV infection may be beneficial for increasing the survival of SARS-positive patients. Regarding the high similarity of SARS-CoV-2 to SARS-CoV, the use of such inhibitors might be beneficial for COVID-19 patients

Real-time planar segmentation of depth images: from three-dimensional edges to segmented planes

Abstract. Real-time execution of processing algorithms for handling depth images in a three-dimensional (3-D) data framework is a major challenge. More specifically, considering depth images as point clouds and performing planar segmentation requires heavy computation, because available planar segmentation algorithms are mostly based on surface normals and/or curvatures, and, consequently, do not provide real-time performance. Aiming at the reconstruction of indoor environments, the spaces mainly consist of planar surfaces, so that a possible 3-D application would strongly benefit from a real-time algorithm. We introduce a real-time planar segmentation method for depth images avoiding any surface normal calculation. First, we detect 3-D edges in a depth image and generate line segments between the identified edges. Second, we fuse all the points on each pair of intersecting line segments into a plane candidate. Third and finally, we implement a validation phase to select planes from the candidates. Furthermore, various enhancements are applied to improve the segmentation quality. The GPU implementation of the proposed algorithm segments depth images into planes at the rate of 58 fps. Our pipeline-interleaving technique increases this rate up to 100 fps. With this throughput rate improvement, the application benefit of our algorithm may be further exploited in terms of quality and enhancing the localization

Functional analysis and expression profiling of HcrVf1 and HcrVf2 for development of scab resistant cisgenic and intragenic apples

Apple scab resistance genes, HcrVf1 and HcrVf2, were isolated including their native promoter, coding and terminator sequences. Two fragment lengths (short and long) of the native gene promoters and the strong apple rubisco gene promoter (PMdRbc) were used for both HcrVf genes to test their effect on expression and phenotype. The scab susceptible cultivar ‘Gala’ was used for plant transformations and after selection of transformants, they were micrografted onto apple seedling rootstocks for scab disease tests. Apple transformants were also tested for HcrVf expression by quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). For HcrVf1 the long native promoter gave significantly higher expression that the short one; in case of HcrVf2 the difference between the two was not significant. The apple rubisco gene promoter proved to give the highest expression of both HcrVf1 and HcrVf2. The top four expanding leaves were used initially for inoculation with monoconidial isolate EU-B05 which belongs to race 1 of V. inaequalis. Later six other V. inaequalis isolates were used to study the resistance spectra of the individual HcrVf genes. The scab disease assays showed that HcrVf1 did not give resistance against any of the isolates tested regardless of the expression level. The HcrVf2 gene appeared to be the only functional gene for resistance against Vf avirulent isolates of V. inaequalis. HcrVf2 did not provide any resistance to Vf virulent strains, even not in case of overexpression. In conclusion, transformants carrying the apple-derived HcrVf2 gene in a cisgenic as well as in an intragenic configuration were able to reach scab resistance levels comparable to the Vf resistant control cultivar obtained by classical breeding, cv. ‘Santana’

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules involved in the improvement of plant growth, health and nutrition

Bacteria-inducing legume nodules are known as rhizobia and belong to the class Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria. They promote the growth and nutrition of their respective legume hosts through atmospheric nitrogen fixation which takes place in the nodules induced in their roots or stems. In addition, rhizobia have other plant growth-promoting mechanisms, mainly solubilization of phosphate and production of indoleacetic acid, ACC deaminase and siderophores. Some of these mechanisms have been reported for strains of rhizobia which are also able to promote the growth of several nonlegumes, such as cereals, oilseeds and vegetables. Less studied are the mechanisms that have the rhizobia to promote the plant health; however, these bacteria are able to exert biocontrol of some phytopathogens and to induce the plant resistance. In this chapter, we revised the available data about the ability of the legume nodule-inducing bacteria for improving the plant growth, health and nutrition of both legumes and nonlegumes. These data showed that rhizobia meet all the requirements of sustainable agriculture to be used as bio-inoculants allowing the total or partial replacement of chemicals used for fertilization or protection of crops

Robust Hybrid TFET-MOSFET Circuits in Presence of Process Variations and Soft Errors

International audienceIn this work, to improve the timing yield of Tunnel Field Effect Transistor (TFET) circuits in the presence of process variations as well as their soft-error resiliency, we propose replacing some of TFET-based gates by MOSFET-based ones. The effectiveness of the proposed TFET-MOSFET hybrid implementation of the circuits are investigated by first studying the impacts of the process variation on the performances (I-V characteristics) of both homojunction InAs TFETs and MOSFETs. Next, to analyze the soft error rate of the circuits, the particle hit-induced transient current profiles of these devices are extracted. Based on these studies, a hybrid TFET-MOSFET circuit design approach which improves the reliability and soft-error resiliency compared to those of pure TFET-based circuits is suggested. Finally, the efficacy of the design approach is investigated by applying it to some circuits of ISCAS’89 benchmark package

Studies of antibacterial effects of synthesized silver nanoparticles using a novel thermotolerant Isoptericola variabilis sp. IRSH1 against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Background: Silver nanoparticles can consider as an alternative source for some antibiotic usages due to those effective antibacterial activity and eco-friendly characteristics. Objective: This in vitro study was done to evaluate the inhibitory effect of extracellular synthesized of silver nanoparticles using inexpensive cellulosic materials and supernatant culture of Isoptericola variabilis sp. IRSH1 against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Methods: Silver nanoparticles were produced by extracellular biosynthesis using supernatant culture of a novel thermotolerant Isoptericola variabilis sp.IRSH1 and characterized. The antibacterial activities of the synthesized silver nanoparticles were examined by the standard Kirby- Bauer disc diffusion method against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa on Muller-Hinton agar plates. Findings: The silver nanoparticles were produced with an average size of 77 nm and 0.29 polydispersity index (PDI). The inhibition zones of AgNPs (1000 μg/ml) were 10 mm and 11 mm against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa respectively. Conclusion: The biosynthesized AgNPs has good antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The results indicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa is more sensitive to silver nanoparticles. Keywords: Nanotechnology, Metallic nanoparticle, Anti-bacterial agents, Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginos