A quantitative trait locus for the number of days from sowing to seedling emergence in maize

Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping provides useful information for breeding programs since it allows the estimation of genomic locations and genetic effects of chromosomal regions related to the expression of quantitative traits. The number of days from sowing to seedling emergence (NDSSE) is an important agronomic trait in a maize (Zea mays L.) breeding project which is related to yield. To determine its genetic basis, a recombinant inbred line (RIL) population and two nitrogen (N) regimes were used to detect the QTLs associated with NDSSE; as a result, one QTL was identified under high N regime, on chromosome 9, which could explain 6.20% of phenotypic variance and a decrease of 0.18 of NDSSE due to an additive effect. These results are beneficial for understanding the genetic basis of NDSSE in maize breeding project.Key words: Maize (Zea mays L.), quantitative trait locus, recombinant inbred line, nitrogen

Beat-to-beat ambulatory blood pressure estimation based on random forest

Ambulatory blood pressure is critical in predicting some major cardiovascular events; therefore, cuff-less and noninvasive beat-to-beat ambulatory blood pressure measure-ment is of great significance. Machine-learning methods have shown the potential to derive the relationship between physio-logical signal features and ABP. In this paper, we apply random forest method to systematically explorer the inherent connections between photoplethysmography signal, electrocardiogram signal and ambulatory blood pressure. To archive this goal, 18 features were extracted from PPG and ECG signals. Several models with most significant features as inputs and beat-to-beat ABP as outputs were trained and tested on data from the Multi-Parameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care II database. Results indicate that compared with the common pulse transit time method, the RF method gives a better performance for one-hour continuous estimation of diastolic blood pressure and systolic blood pressure under both the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation and British Hyper-tension Society standard

Radiation dose and cancer risk from pediatric CT examinations on 64-slice CT: A phantom study

Objective: To measure the radiation dose from CT scans in an anthropomorphic phantom using a 64-slice MDCT, and to estimate the associated cancer risk. Materials and methods: Organ doses were measured with a 5-year-old phantom and thermoluminescent dosimeters. Four protocols; head CT, thorax CT, abdomen CT and pelvis CT were studied. Cancer risks, in the form of lifetime attributable risk (LAR) of cancer incidence, were estimated by linear extrapolation using the organ radiation doses and the LAR data. Results: The effective doses for head, thorax, abdomen and pelvis CT, were 0.7 mSv, 3.5 mSv, 3.0 mSv, 1.3 mSv respectively. The organs with the highest dose were; for head CT, salivary gland (22.33 mGy); for thorax CT, breast (7.89 mGy); for abdomen CT, colon (6.62 mGy); for pelvis CT, bladder (4.28 mGy). The corresponding LARs for boys and girls were 0.015-0.053% and 0.034-0.155% respectively. The organs with highest LARs were; for head CT, thyroid gland (0.003% for boys, 0.015% for girls); for thorax CT, lung for boys (0.014%) and breast for girls (0.069%); for abdomen CT, colon for boys (0.017%) and lung for girls (0.016%); for pelvis CT, bladder for both boys and girls (0.008%). Conclusion: The effective doses from these common pediatric CT examinations ranged from 0.7 mSv to 3.5 mSv and the associated lifetime cancer risks were found to be up to 0.16%, with some organs of higher radiosensitivity including breast, thyroid gland, colon and lungs. © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.postprin

MR Quantification of Total Liver Fat in Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance and Healthy Subjects

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Cholangiocarcinoma: spectrum of appearances on Gd-EOB-DTPA-enhanced MR imaging and the effect of biliary function on signal intensity

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Histamine increases neuronal excitability and sensitivity of the lateral vestibular nucleus and promotes motor behaviors via HCN channel coupled to H2 receptor

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Environmental footprint assessment of green campus from a food-water-energy nexus perspective

Universities not only can be considered as small communities due to their intensive population and their provision of complex services, but also play a vital role in the education system for global sustainable future. Thus, the environmental impacts and green operation of universities has great reference value for the design of sustainable development. In this study, we develop an environmental footprint framework based on life cycle analysis (LCA) to systematically and comprehensively understand how universities interact with the hydrologic cycle, energy resources and climate. Using Keele University in UK as an example, we further quantified the nexus and trade-offs between environmental elements including water, energy, food, waste and carbon emissions. We believe that this method will contribute to the development of footprint assessment and sustainable development, and the findings could serve as reference for policy-makers who are interested in developing green campuses