Mapping QTLs for mineral accumulation and shoot dry biomass under different Zn nutritional conditions in Chinese cabbage ( Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis )

Abstract Chinese cabbage (Brassica rapa L. ssp. pekinensis) is one of the most important vegetables in China. Genetic dissection of leaf mineral accumulation and tolerance to Zn stress is important for the improvement of the nutritional quality of Chinese cabbage by breeding. A mapping population with 183 doubled haploid (DH) lines was used to study the genetics of mineral accumulation and the growth response to Zn. The genetic map was constructed based on 203 AFLPs, 58 SSRs, 22 SRAPs and four ESTPs. The concentration of 11 minerals was determined in leaves for 142 DH lines grown in an open field. In addition shoot dry biomass (SDB) under normal, deficient and excessive Zn nutritional conditions were investigated in hydroponics experiments. Ten QTLs, each explaining 11.1¿17.1% of the Na, Mg, P, Al, Fe, Mn, Zn and Sr concentration variance, were identified by multiple-QTL model (MQM) mapping. One common QTL was found affecting SDB under normal, deficient and excessive Zn nutritional conditions. An additional QTL was detected for SDB under Zn excess stress only. These results offer insights into the genetic basis of leaf mineral accumulation and plant growth under Zn stress conditions in Chinese cabbag

Gene transcription analysis during interaction between potato and Ralstonia solanacearum

Bacterial wilt (BW) caused by Ralstonia solanacearum (Rs) is an important quarantine disease that spreads worldwide and infects hundreds of plant species. The BW defense response of potato is a complicated continuous process, which involves transcription of a battery of genes. The molecular mechanisms of potato-Rs interactions are poorly understood. In this study, we combined suppression subtractive hybridization and macroarray hybridization to identify genes that are differentially expressed during the incompatible interaction between Rs and potato. In total, 302 differentially expressed genes were identified and classified into 12 groups according to their putative biological functions. Of 302 genes, 81 were considered as Rs resistance-related genes based on the homology to genes of known function, and they have putative roles in pathogen recognition, signal transduction, transcription factor functioning, hypersensitive response, systemic acquired resistance, and cell rescue and protection. Additionally, 50 out of 302 genes had no match or low similarity in the NCBI databases, and they may represent novel genes. Of seven interesting genes analyzed via RNA gel blot and semi-quantitative RT-PCR, six were induced, one was suppressed, and all had different transcription patterns. The results demonstrate that the response of potato against Rs is rapid and involves the induction of numerous various genes. The genes identified in this study add to our knowledge of potato resistance to Rs

Cell nuclei detection using globally optimal active contours with shape prior

Cell nuclei detection in fluorescent microscopic images is an important and time consuming task for a wide range of biological applications. Blur, clutter, bleed through and partial occlusion of nuclei make this a challenging task for automated detection of individual nuclei using image analysis. This paper proposes a novel and robust detection method based on the active contour framework. The method exploits prior knowledge of the nucleus shape in order to better detect individual nuclei. The method is formulated as the optimization of a convex energy function. The proposed method shows accurate detection results even for clusters of nuclei where state of the art methods fail

Comparison of genetic diversity and growth traits among Fangzheng silver crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio) gynogenetic clones

The silver crucian carp (Carassius auratus gibelio), a gynogenetic teleost, is a promising model for the study of evolutionary genetics in vertebrates. We identified ten gynogenetic clones (FZ-I~FZ-X) from triploid silver crucian carp, collected from Fangzheng County in Heilongjiang Province, China, using microsatellite markers. The genetic diversity of these gynogenetic clones was analyzed using 52 microsatellite markers. A total of 413 alleles were detected and the length of fragments ranged from 96 to 340 bp. The number of alleles per locus varied from 2~19 (mean=7.9423). The observed heterozygosity at polymorphic loci ranged from 0.10~1.00 (mean=0.80). The average allele count per gynogenetic clone ranged from 1.9423~2.1923. The ratio of the polymorphic locus was from 71.15% (VII) to 84.61% (IX) per clone. The number of genotypes ranged from 2~10 per locus. Ten genotypes were observed by analyzing each of 14 microsatellites. As a result, each gynogenetic clone could be accurately identified. In addition, the growth traits, including body weight, length, and height, among five gynogenetic clones were compared. There was a significant difference among gynogenetic clones. Clone FZ-V exhibited the best growth traits, with the largest body weight (53.17±5.24 g), length (11.38±0.37 cm) and height (4.69±0.18 cm). Our results provide basic data for the identification of silver crucian carp gynogenetic clones and can be used as a guide genetic breeding programs

The short-time behaviour of a kinetic Ashkin-Teller model on the critical line

We simulate the kinetic Ashkin-Teller model with both ordered and disordered initial states, evolving in contact with a heat-bath at the critical temperature. The power law scaling behaviour for the magnetic order and electric order are observed in the early time stage. The values of the critical exponent $\theta$ vary along the critical line. Another dynamical exponent $z$ is also obtained in the process.Comment: 14 pages LaTeX with 4 figures in postscrip

An analysis of coupling coordination relationship between regional economy and transportation: empirical evidence from China

The increasing discrepancy between a regional economy and transportation imposes higher requirements for their coordinated development. This paper utilized the coupling coordination degree (CCD) model and entropy method (EM) to quantitatively study the coupling coordination state between regional economy and transportation and its spatial distribution of 30 provinces in China from 2004 to 2017. The results show the following: (1) The comprehensive level of regional economy and transportation development in China has shown a growing trend, and the development of regional economy is faster than that of the transportation. (2) The CCD between regional economy and transportation in China is changing from incoordination to high-level coordination. The imbalance of CCD levels among the regions studied varies significantly. The CCD in the eastern regions is slightly higher than that in the central, western, and northeast regions. (3) In the region with a higher CCD, the discrepancy between the development of regional economy and transportation is higher than that in other regions. Moreover, suggestions are provided to promote the coordinated development from a regional perspective. This study provides references to policymakers to help them properly plan and design transportation systems while considering the regional economy, thus stimulating the coordinated and sustainable development between regional economy and transportation

Development of digastric muscles in human foetuses: a review and findings in the flexor digitorum superficialis muscle

The digastricus and omohyoideus muscles are digastric muscles with two muscle bellies. An insertion tendon of the posterior belly becomes an intermediate tendon in digastricus muscles, whereas a single band-like muscle in omohyoideus muscles may later be interrupted by an intermediate tendon, possibly due to muscle cell death caused by mechanical stress. In human foetuses, an intermediate tendon provides the temporal origins of the tensor veli palatini and tensor tympani muscles. Some reptiles, including snakes, carry multiple series of digastric-like axial muscles, in which each intersegmental septum is likely to become an intermediate tendon. These findings indicate that many pathways are involved in the development of digastric muscles. A review of these morphologies suggested that the flexor digi­torum superficialis (FDS) muscle was a digastric muscle, although the intermediate tendon may not be visible in the surface view in adults. The present observations support the hypothesis that the proximal anlage at the elbow develops into a deep muscle slip to a limited finger, while the distal anlage at the wrist develops into the other slips. The findings suggest that, in the FDS muscle, the proximal and distal bellies of the embryonic digastric muscle fuse together to form a laminar structure, in which muscle slips accumulate from the palmar to the deep side of the forearm. (Folia Morphol 2018; 77, 2: 362–370