Influences of the disease resistance conferred by the individual transgenes, Pi-d2, Pi-d3 and Xa21, on the transgenic rice plants in yield and grain quality

To research possible influences of the disease resistance conferred by different trans-resistance genes on the transgenic rice plants in their yields and grain quality, three transgenic rice lines, including two with the resistance genes Pi-d2 and Pi-d3, respectively, for rice blast, and one with the resistance gene Xa21 for rice bacterial blight, which all showed the highest resistance to their respective pathogen races, were used to analyze and measure their respective characters in yield and grain quality as compared to those of the transgenic control line with the empty vector that was used to transfer Pi-d2, Pi-d3 and Xa21, respectively. Both yield and grain quality of all three transgenic materials with the respective trans-resistance genes decreased significantly. Grain weight per plant of Pi-d2, Pi-d3 and Xa21 transgenic individuals decreased by 7.7%, 29.6 and 44.4%, respectively, compared to the control. Grain quality of Pi-d2 and Pi-d3 transgenic plants were both the third class according to the Industrial Standard, ‘Grain Quality of Edible Rice Variety’ and one class worse than that of the control, but the third class still belongs to edible grains. However, grain quality of Xa21 transgenic plants was too bad to be edible

Induction of resistance in cucumber against seedling damping-off by plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) Bacillus megaterium strain L8

Bacillus megaterium L8, a plant growth-promoting rhizobacterium (PGPR), was isolated and evaluated for its ability to induce resistance in cucumber against seedling damping-off caused by Pythium aphanidermatum. Root-splitting challenge experiments showed that L8 treatment of cucumber roots more effectively suppressed seedling damping-off than did the control as judged by seedling survival rate (83.45 versus 31.68% at 28 days), indicating that strain L8 is capable of inducing systemic disease resistance in cucumber. To explore the potential mechanism underlying the induced systemic resistance (ISR) mediated by L8, the expression profile of several plant defense-related enzymes: superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), polyphenol oxidase (PPO) and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) were monitored in the roots treated with L8 or P. aphanidermatum and untreated leaves in a time course of 13 days. Levels of SOD, POD, CAT, PPO and PAL activities in the treated roots and untreated leaves of cucumber seedlings were all significantly higher as compared with the control and respectively peaked in the roots at 3, 3, 5, 5 and 5 days and correspondingly in the leaves at 5, 3, 5, 5 and 5 days post-inoculation. The enhanced expression patterns of the above enzymes following L8 or P. aphanidermatum treatment suggested that systemic induction of plant defense enzymes by L8 might account for its ability to provide effective protection for cucumber from seedling damping-off caused by the soil-borne fungal pathogen P. aphanidermatum.Key words: Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR), defense enzymes, damping-off of cucumber seedlings, induced resistance

Probing deep level centers in GaN epilayers with variable-frequency capacitance-voltage characteristics of AuGaN Schottky contacts

Under identical preparation conditions, AuGaN Schottky contacts were prepared on two kinds of GaN epilayers with significantly different background electron concentrations and mobility as well as yellow emission intensities. Current-voltage (I-V) and variable-frequency capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics show that the Schottky contacts on the GaN epilayer with a higher background carrier concentration and strong yellow emission exhibit anomalous reverse-bias I-V and C-V characteristics. This is attributed to the presence of deep level centers. Theoretical simulation of the low-frequency C-V curves leads to a determination of the density and energy level position of the deep centers. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Probing deep level centers in GaN epilayers with variable-frequency capacitance-voltage characteristics of Au/GaN Schottky contacts

Author name used in this publication: X. M. Tao2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Influence of indium-tin-oxide thin-film quality on reverse leakage current of indium-tin-oxide/n-GaN Schottky contacts

Author name used in this publication: X. M. Tao2006-2007 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Evidence for genetic association of TBX21 and IFNG with systemic lupus erythematosus in a Chinese Han population

TBX21 recode T-bet which is an important transcription factor that drives the Th1 immune response primarily by promoting expression of the interferon-gamma (IFNG) gene. Recent studies have shown that genetic variants in TBX21 and IFNG are connected with risk of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of the present study was to replicate these genetic associations with SLE in Anhui Chinese population. Genotyping of 3 variants (rs4794067 in TBX21, rs2069705 and rs2069718 in IFNG) was performed. A total of 3732 subjects were included in the final analysis. The study only identified the association of rs2069705 with SLE susceptibility (T vs. C: odds ratio [OR] = 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.00-1.26, P = 0.046). Combined analysis with Hong Kong GWAS showed that the OR for rs2069705 was 1.10 (95% CI: 1.01-1.21, P = 0.027). Further pooled analysis with Korean populations involving 10498 subjects showed a more significant association between rs2069705 and SLE (T vs. C: OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.04-1.19, P = 0.002; TT + TC vs. CC: OR = 1.11, 95%CI = 1.02-1.21, P = 0.012; TT vs. TC + CC: OR = 1.28, 95%CI = 1.07-1.54, P = 0.008; TT vs. CC: OR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.10-1.60, P = 0.003). In addition, we also identified a significant genetic interaction between rs2069705 and rs4794067 in Anhui Chinese population. Our study suggests that IFNG and IFNG-TBX21 interaction are involved in SLE susceptibility.published_or_final_versio

Biocontrol Potential of Forest Tree Endophytes

Peer reviewe

Multi-messenger observations of a binary neutron star merger

On 2017 August 17 a binary neutron star coalescence candidate (later designated GW170817) with merger time 12:41:04 UTC was observed through gravitational waves by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors. The Fermi Gamma-ray Burst Monitor independently detected a gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) with a time delay of ~1.7 s with respect to the merger time. From the gravitational-wave signal, the source was initially localized to a sky region of 31 deg2 at a luminosity distance of 40+8-8 Mpc and with component masses consistent with neutron stars. The component masses were later measured to be in the range 0.86 to 2.26 Mo. An extensive observing campaign was launched across the electromagnetic spectrum leading to the discovery of a bright optical transient (SSS17a, now with the IAU identification of AT 2017gfo) in NGC 4993 (at ~40 Mpc) less than 11 hours after the merger by the One- Meter, Two Hemisphere (1M2H) team using the 1 m Swope Telescope. The optical transient was independently detected by multiple teams within an hour. Subsequent observations targeted the object and its environment. Early ultraviolet observations revealed a blue transient that faded within 48 hours. Optical and infrared observations showed a redward evolution over ~10 days. Following early non-detections, X-ray and radio emission were discovered at the transient’s position ~9 and ~16 days, respectively, after the merger. Both the X-ray and radio emission likely arise from a physical process that is distinct from the one that generates the UV/optical/near-infrared emission. No ultra-high-energy gamma-rays and no neutrino candidates consistent with the source were found in follow-up searches. These observations support the hypothesis that GW170817 was produced by the merger of two neutron stars in NGC4993 followed by a short gamma-ray burst (GRB 170817A) and a kilonova/macronova powered by the radioactive decay of r-process nuclei synthesized in the ejecta

GWTC-2.1: Deep extended catalog of compact binary coalescences observed by LIGO and Virgo during the first half of the third observing run

The second Gravitational-Wave Transient Catalog, GWTC-2, reported on 39 compact binary coalescences observed by the Advanced LIGO and Advanced Virgo detectors between 1 April 2019 15 ∶ 00 UTC and 1 October 2019 15 ∶ 00 UTC. Here, we present GWTC-2.1, which reports on a deeper list of candidate events observed over the same period. We analyze the final version of the strain data over this period with improved calibration and better subtraction of excess noise, which has been publicly released. We employ three matched-filter search pipelines for candidate identification, and estimate the probability of astrophysical origin for each candidate event. While GWTC-2 used a false alarm rate threshold of 2 per year, we include in GWTC-2.1, 1201 candidates that pass a false alarm rate threshold of 2 per day. We calculate the source properties of a subset of 44 high-significance candidates that have a probability of astrophysical origin greater than 0.5. Of these candidates, 36 have been reported in GWTC-2. We also calculate updated source properties for all binary black hole events previously reported in GWTC-1. If the eight additional high-significance candidates presented here are astrophysical, the mass range of events that are unambiguously identified as binary black holes (both objects ≥ 3 M⊙ ) is increased compared to GWTC-2, with total masses from ∼ 14 M ⊙ for GW190924_021846 to ∼ 182 M⊙ for GW190426_190642. Source properties calculated using our default prior suggest that the primary components of two new candidate events (GW190403_051519 and GW190426_190642) fall in the mass gap predicted by pair-instability supernova theory. We also expand the population of binaries with significantly asymmetric mass ratios reported in GWTC-2 by an additional two events (the mass ratio is less than 0.65 and 0.44 at 90% probability for GW190403_051519 and GW190917_114630 respectively), and find that two of the eight new events have effective inspiral spins χeff > 0 (at 90% credibility), while no binary is consistent with χeff < 0 at the same significance. We provide updated estimates for rates of binary black hole and binary neutron star coalescence in the local Universe

Search for gravitational waves from Scorpius X-1 in the second Advanced LIGO observing run with an improved hidden Markov model

We present results from a semicoherent search for continuous gravitational waves from the low-mass x-ray binary Scorpius X-1, using a hidden Markov model (HMM) to track spin wandering. This search improves on previous HMM-based searches of LIGO data by using an improved frequency domain matched filter, the J-statistic, and by analyzing data from Advanced LIGO's second observing run. In the frequency range searched, from 60 to 650 Hz, we find no evidence of gravitational radiation. At 194.6 Hz, the most sensitive search frequency, we report an upper limit on gravitational wave strain (at 95% confidence) of h095%=3.47×10-25 when marginalizing over source inclination angle. This is the most sensitive search for Scorpius X-1, to date, that is specifically designed to be robust in the presence of spin wandering. © 2019 American Physical Society