Fine mapping and characterization of stripe rust resistance gene YrAYH in near-isogenic lines derived from a cross involving wheat landrace Anyuehong

Stripe rust,caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici(Pst),is a devastating disease in wheat worldwide.Discovering and characterizing new resistance genes/QTL is crucial for wheat breeding programs.In this study,we fine-mapped and characterized a stripe rust resistance gene,YRAYH,on chromosome arm 5BL in the Chinese wheat landrace Anyuehong(AYH).Evaluations of stripe rust response to prevalent Chinese Pst races in near-isogenic lines derived from a cross of Anyuehong and Taichung 29 showed that YrAYH conferred a high level of resistance at all growth stages.Fine mapping using a large segregating population of 9748 plants,narrowed the YRAYH locus to a 3.7 Mb interval on chromosome arm 5BL that included 61 annotated genes.Transcriptome analysis of two NIL pairs identified 64 upregulated differentially expressed genes(DEGs)in the resistant NILs(NILs-R).Annotations indicated that many of these genes have roles in plant disease resistance pathways.Through a combined approach of fine-mapping and transcriptome sequencing,we identified a serine/threonine-protein kinase SRPK as a candidate gene underlying YrAYH.A unique 25 bp insertion was identified in the NILs-R compared to the NILs-S and previously published wheat genomes.An InDel marker was developed and co-segregated with YrAYH.Agronomic trait evaluation of the NILs suggested that YrAYH not only reduces the impact of stripe rust but was also associated with a gene that increases plant height and spike length.

Quantitative analysis of laser-generated ultrasonic wave characteristics and their correlation with grain size in polycrystalline materials

Quantitative relationship between nanosecond pulsed laser parameters and the characteristics of laser-generated ultrasonic waves in polycrystalline materials was evaluated.The high energy of the pulsed laser with a large irradiation spot simultaneously generated ultrasonic longitudinal and shear waves at the epicenter under the slight ablation regime.An optimized denoising technique based on wavelet thresholding and variational mode decomposition was applied to reduce noise in shear waves with a low signal-to-noise ratio.An approach for characterizing grain size was proposed using spectral central frequency ratio(SCFR)based on time-frequency analysis.The results demonstrate that the generation regime of ultrasonic waves is not solely determined by the laser power density;even at high power densities,a high energy with a large spot can generate an ultrasonic waveform dominated by the thermoelastic effect.This is ascribed to the intensification of the thermoelastic effect with the proportional increase in laser irradiation spot area for a given laser power density.Furthermore,both longitudinal and shear wave SCFRs are linearly related to grain size in polycrystalline materials;however,the shear wave SCFR is more sensitive to finer-grained materials.This study holds great significance for evaluating metal material properties using laser ultrasound.

Fine mapping and transcriptome sequencing reveal candidate genes conferring all-stage resistance to stripe rust on chromosome arm 1AL in Chinese wheat landrace AS1676

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici(Pst), threatens wheat production worldwide, and resistant varieties tend to become susceptible after a period of cultivation owing to the variation of pathogen races. In this study, a new resistance gene against Pst race CYR34 was identified and predicted using the descendants of a cross between AS1676, a highly resistant Chinese landrace, and Avocet S, a susceptible cultivar. From a heterozygous plant from a F7recombinant inbred line(RIL) population lacking the Yr18 gene, a near-isogenic line(NIL) population was developed to map the resistance gene. An allstage resistance gene, YrAS1676, was identified on chromosome arm 1AL via bulked-segregant exomecapture sequencing. By analyzing a large NIL population consisting of 6537 plants, the gene was further mapped to the marker interval between KA1A_485.36 and KA1A_490.13, spanning 485.36–490.13 Mb on1AL. A total of 66 annotated genes have been reported in this region. To characterize and predict the candidate gene(s), an RNA-seq was performed using NIL-R and NIL-S seedlings 3 days after CYR34 inoculation. Compared to NIL-S plants, NIL-R plants showed stronger immune reaction and higher expression levels of genes encoding pathogenesis-associated proteins. These differences may help to explain why NIL-R plants were more resistant to Pst race CYR34 than NIL-S plants. By combining fine-mapping and transcriptome sequencing, a calcium-dependent protein kinase gene was finally predicted as the potential candidate gene of YrAS1676. This gene contained a single-nucleotide polymorphism. The candidate gene was more highly expressed in NIL-R than in NIL-S plants. In field experiments with Pst challenge,the YrAS1676 genotype showed mitigation of disease damage and yield loss without adverse effects on tested agronomic traits. These results suggest that YrAS1676 has potential use in wheat stripe rust resistance breeding.

Feasibility of maintaining satellite altimetry calibration site based on qianliyan islet at the Yellow Sea

The calibration of the sea surface height(SSH)measured by satellite altimeters is essential to understand altimeter biases.Many factors affects the construction and maintenance of a permanent calibration site.In order to calibrate Chinese satellite altimetry missions,the feasibility of maintaining a calibration site based on the Qianliyan islet in Yellow Sea of China is taken into account.The related calibration facilities,such as the permanent tide gauge,GNSS reference station and meteorological station,were already operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources of China.The data could be fully used for satellite altimeter calibration with small fiscal expenditure.In addition,the location and marine environments of Qianliyan were discussed.Finally,we used the Jason-3 mission to check the possibility of calibration works.The result indicates that the brightness temperatures of three channels measured by microwave radiometer(MWR)and the derived wet tropospheric correction varies smoothly,which means the land contamination to MWR could be ignored.The high frequency waveforms at the Qianliyan site present no obvious difference from the normal waveforms received by satellite radar altimeter over the open ocean.In conclusion,the Qianliyan islet will not influence satellite altimetry observation.Following these analyses,a possible layout and mechanism of the Qianliyan calibration site are proposed.

High-resolution genetic mapping and identification of candidate genes for the wheat stem rust resistance gene Sr8155B1

Stem rust,caused by Puccinia graminis f.sp.tritici(Pgt),threatens global wheat production.Development of cultivars with increased resistance to stem rust by identification,mapping,and deployment of resistance genes is the best strategy for controlling the disease.In this study,we performed fine mapping and characterization of the all-stage stem rust resistance(Sr)gene Sr8155B1 from the durum wheat line 8155-B1.In seedling tests of biparental populations,Sr8155B1 was effective against six Chinese Pgt races tested.In a segregating population of 5060 gametes,Sr8155B1 was mapped to a 0.06-cM region flanked by markers Pku2772 and Pku43365,corresponding to 1.5-and 2.7-Mb regions in the Svevo and Chinese Spring reference genomes.Both regions include several typical nucleotide-binding leucine-rich repeat(NLR)and protein kinase genes that represent candidate genes.Among them,three NLR genes and three receptor-like protein kinases were highly polymorphic between the parental lines and their transcripts were upregulated in the homozygous resistant line TdR2 relative to its susceptible sister line TdS4.Four markers(Pku2772,Pku43365,Pku2950,and Pku3721)developed in this study,together with seedling resistance responses,correctly predicted Sr8155B1 absence or presence in 78 tetraploid wheat genotypes tested.The presence of Sr8155B1 in tetraploid wheat accessions CItr 14916,PI 197492,and PI 197493 was confirmed by mapping in three F_(2)populations.The genetic map and linked markers developed in this study may accelerate the deployment of Sr8155B1-mediated resistance in wheat breeding programs.

Ash removal from inferior coal via ammonium fluoride roasting and simultaneous yield of white carbon black

The quality upgrading and deashing of inferior coal by chemical method still faces great challenges.The dangers of strong acid,strong alkali,waste water and exhaust gas as well as high cost limit its industrial production.This paper systematically investigates the ash reduction and desilicification of two typical inferior coal utilizing ammonium fluoride roasting method.Under the optimal conditions,for fat coal and gas coal,the deashing rates are 69.02%and 54.13%,and the desilicification rates are 92.64%and 90.27%,respectively.The molar dosage of ammonium fluoride remains consistent for both coals;however,the gas coal,characterized by a lower ash and silica content(less than half that of the fat coal),achieves optimum deashing effect at a reduced time and temperature.The majority of silicon in coal transforms into gaseous ammonium fluorosilicate,subsequently preparing nanoscale amorphous silica with a purity of 99.90%through ammonia precipitation.Most of the fluorine in deashed coal are assigned in inorganic minerals,suggesting the possibility of further fluorine and ash removal via flotation.This research provides a green and facile route to deash inferior coal and produce nano-scale white carbon black simultaneously.

Identification and fine mapping of two blast resistance genes in rice cultivar 93-11

Rice blast, caused by Magnaporthe oryzae, is a major disease of rice almost worldwide. The Chinese indica cultivar 93-11 is resistant to numerous isolates of the blast fungus in China, and can be used as broad-spectrum resistance resource, particularly in japonica rice breeding programs. In this study, we identified and mapped two blast resistance genes, Pi60(t) and Pi61(t), in cv. 93-11 using F2 and F3 populations derived from a cross between the susceptible cv. Lijiangxintuanheigu(LTH) and resistant cv. 93-11 and inoculated with M. oryzae isolates from different geographic origins. Pi60(t) was delimited to a 274 kb region on the short arm of chromosome 11, flanked by InDel markers K1-4 and E12 and cosegregated with InDel markers B1 and Y10. Pi61(t) was mapped to a 200 kb region on the short arm(near the centromere) of chromosome 12, flanked by InDel markers M2 and S29 and cosegregating with InDel marker M9. In the 274 kb region of Pi60(t), 93-11 contains six NBS-LRR genes including the two Pia/ PiCO39 alleles(BGIOSGA034263 and BGIOSGA035032) which are quite close to the two Pia/ PiCO39 alleles(SasRGA4 and SasRGA5) in Sasanishiki and CO39, with only nine amino acids differing in the protein sequences of BGIOSGA035032 and SasRGA5. In the 200 kb region of Pi61(t), 93-11 contains four NBS-LRR genes, all of which show high identities in protein sequence with their corresponding NBS-LRR alleles in susceptible cv. Nipponbare. Comparison of the response spectra and physical positions between the target genes and other R genes in the same chromosome regions indicated that Pi60(t) could be Pia/PiCO39 or its allele, whereas Pi61(t) appears to be different from Pita, Pita-2, Pi19(t), Pi39(t) and Pi42(t) in the same R gene cluster. DNA markers tightly linked to Pi60(t) and Pi61(t) will enable marker-assisted breeding and map-based cloning.

QTL mapping for grain number per spikelet in wheat using a high-density genetic map

Grain number per spikelet (GNS) is a key determinant of grain yield in wheat.A recombinant inbred line population comprising 300 lines was developed from a cross between a high GNS variety H461 and Chinese Spring from which the reference genome assembly of bread wheat was obtained.Both parents and the recombinant inbred lines were genotyped using the wheat 55K single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP) array.A high-density genetic map containing 21,197 SNPs was obtained.These markers covered each of the 21 chromosomes with a total linkage distance of 3792.71 c M.Locations of these markers in this linkage map were highly consistent with their physical locations in the genome assembly of Chinese Spring.The two parents and the whole RIL population were assessed for GNS in two consecutive years at two different locations.Based on multi-environment phenotype data and best liner unbiased prediction values,three quantitative trait loci (QTL) for GNS were identified.One of them located on chromosomes 2B and the other two on 2D.Phenotypic variation explained by these loci varied from 3.07%to26.57%.One of these QTL,QGns.sicau-2D-2,was identified in each of all trials conducted.Based on the best linear unbiased prediction values,this locus explained 19.59%–26.57%of phenotypic variation.A KASP(Kompetitive Allele-Specific PCR) marker closely linked with this locus was generated and used to validate the effects of this locus in three different genetic backgrounds.The identified QTL and the KASP marker developed for it will be highly valuable in fine-mapping the locus and in exploiting it for markerassisted selection in wheat breeding programs.

Optimal design of near-Earth asteroid sample-return trajectories in the Sun–Earth–Moon system

In the 6th edition of the Chinese Space Trajectory Design Competition held in 2014, a near-Earth asteroid sample-return trajectory design problem was released, in which the motion of the spacecraft is modeled in multi-body dynamics, considering the gravitational forces of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. It is proposed that an electric-propulsion spacecraft initially parking in a circular 200-kin-altitude low Earth orbit is expected to rendezvous with an asteroid and carry as much sample as possible back to the Earth in a 10-year time frame. The team from the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization, Chinese Academy of Sciences has reported a solution with an asteroid sample mass of 328 tons, which is ranked first in the competition. In this article, we will present our design and optimization methods, primarily including overall analysis, target selection, escape from and capture by the Earth-Moon system, and optimization of impulsive and low-thrust trajectories that are modeled in multi-body dynamics. The orbital resonance concept and lunar gravity assists are considered key techniques employed for trajectory design. The reported solution, preliminarily revealing the feasibility of returning a hundreds-of-tons asteroid or asteroid sample, envisions future space missions relating to near-Earth asteroid exploration.

Cellular automaton modeling of pedestrian movement behavior on an escalator

As a convenient passenger transit facility between floors with different heights, escalators have been extensively used in shopping malls, metro stations, airport terminals, etc. Compared with other vertical transit facilities including stairs and elevators, escalators usually have large transit capacity. It is expected to reduce pedestrian traveling time and thus improve the quality of pedestrian’s experiences especially in jamming conditions. However, it is noticed that pedestrians may present different movement patterns, e.g., queuing on each step of the escalator, walking on the left-side and meanwhile standing on the right-side of the escalator. These different patterns affect the actual escalator traffic volume and finally the passenger spatiotemporal distribution in different built environments. Thus, in the present study, a microscopic cellular automaton(CA) simulation model considering pedestrian movement behavior on escalators is built. Simulations are performed considering different pedestrian movement speeds, queuing modes, and segregation on escalators with different escalator speeds.The actual escalator capacities under different pedestrian movement patterns are investigated. It is found that walking on escalators will not always benefit escalator transit volume improvement, especially in jamming conditions.

Pulmonary vein isolation implemented by second-generation cryoballoon for treating hypertrophic cardiomyopathy patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation:a case-control study

Background Atrial fibrillation(AF)is a generally acknowledged turning-point of the natural history of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(HCM);however,data from the cryoballoon ablation(CBA)for AF in HCM patients are relatively scarce.The study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of CBA in HCM patients with AF.Methods We retrospectively analyzed HCM patients among 1253 patients with symptomatic AF who underwent CBA for pulmonary vein isolation in a single center.The study analyzed the AF recurrence and assessed the CBA indexes,including nadir temperature,time-to-isolation,CBA failure,pulmonary vein potentials(PVPs),and redo procedure.Results A total of 108 patients were included(mean age:59.0±6.9 years),27 patients(25%)had HCM,with the median follow-up duration of 25.5 months.The one-year AF-free rates were 79.0%vs.63.0%(non-HCM vs.HCM),while the two-year AF-free rates were 77.8%vs.55.1%[hazard ratio(HR)=2.758,log-rank P=0.024].Patients with persistent AF had poor AF-free rates compared to those with paroxysmal AF(P<0.001).The CBA failure was the most common in the right inferior pulmonary veins,which had the lowest PVPs.Multivariate Cox regression analysis indicated that HCM and persistent AF were risk factors for AF recurrence(HR=2.74,95%CI:1.29–5.79,P=0.008;and HR=3.97,95%CI:1.85–8.54,P<0.001,respectively).Conclusions The CBA can be effectively and safely used to treat HCM patients with symptomatic AF.The freedom from AF for HCM patients after CBA is relatively low compared to that for non-HCM patients.

A major vernalization-independent QTL for tiller angle on chromosome arm 2BL in bread wheat

Tiller angle(TA)strongly influences plant architecture and grain yield in cereals.However,the genetic basis of TA in wheat is largely unknown.We identified three TA-related quantitative trait loci(QTL).One of them was QTa.sau-2 B-769,a major QTL localized on chromosome arm 2 BL.QTa.sau-2 B-769 was detected in seven environments,explaining 18.1%–51.1%of phenotypic variance.We developed a linked Kompetitive Allele-Specific Polymerase chain reaction(KASP)marker,KASP-AX-108792274,to further validate this locus in three additional populations in multiple environments.QTa.sau-2 B-769 increased TA by up to 24.9%in these populations.There were significant and positive correlations between TA and flag leaf angle(FLANG).However,TA was not correlated with plant height or anthesis date,suggesting that expression of QTa.sau-2 B-769 is independent of vernalization.Traes CS2 B01 G583800,a gene known to be involved in leaf angle regulation,was identified as the most likely candidate gene for QTa.sau-2 B-769.These results enrich our understanding of the mechanisms regulating wheat TA at maturity and may support precise mapping and cloning of gene(s)underlying QTa.sau-2 B-769.

Mapping a stable adult-plant stripe rust resistance QTL on chromosome 6AL in Chinese wheat landrace Yibinzhuermai

Stripe rust,caused by Puccinia striiformis f.sp.tritici(Pst),is one of the most important diseases threatening the yield and stability of wheat production in China and many other countries.Identification and utilization of new genes for durable stripe rust resistance are important for ongoing control of this disease.The objectives of this study were to identify quantitative trait loci(QTL)associated with adult-plant stripe rust resistance in the Chinese wheat landrace Yibinzhuermai(YBZR)and to provide wheat breeders with new sources of potentially durable resistance.A total of 117 recombinant inbred lines(RILs)(F5:8)derived from a cross between YBZR and highly susceptible cultivar Taichung 29(TC29)were assessed for stripe rust severity in field experiments at Wenjiang in 2016 and 2017 and Chongzhou in 2016,2017,2018,and 2019 in Sichuan following inoculation with a mixture of current Pst races.The RILs were genotyped using the Wheat55K single nucleotide polymorphism(SNP)array.Three QTL were identified on chromosome arms 6AL,5BL and 7DS.QYr.YBZR-6AL and QYr.YBZR-7DS conferred major effects in all field environments,explaining 10.6%to 14.7%and 11.5%to 21.2%of phenotypic variation,respectively.The QTL on 5BL and 7DS likely correspond to previously known QTL,whereas QYr.YBZR-6AL is probably novel.Haplotype analysis revealed that the resistance allele at QYr.YBZR-6AL was present in 2.8%of 324 Chinese wheat landraces.SNP markers closely linked with QYr.YBZR-6AL were converted to kompetitive allele-specific PCR markers and validated in the RIL population and a subset of 92 wheat cultivars.QYr.YBZR-6AL and its markers should be useful in breeding programs to improve the level and durability of stripe rust resistance.

Low testosterone levels are inversely correlated with carotid artery plaque formation in elderly women

Objective To study the relationship between serum testosterone levels and the plaque formation of the carotid artery in a population-based cohort of independently living healthy women above 60 years of age. Methods Analysis of the healthy elders from a population-based cohort study in 9 communities of Beijing. Carotid intima-media thickness and atherosclerotic plaques were determined ultrasonographically. Serum testosterone levels were measured by immunoassay. The data were analyzed with ANOVA and logistic regression analysis. Results There was an inverse correlation between testosterone and plaque formation in old females(P<0.01), while no association was found in males. Female with testosterone levels in the lowest quartile(<0.49 nmol/L) had more risk of plaque formation(OR=3.805, P<0.01) after adjusted with age and other traditional factors of atherosclerosis. Conclusion Testosterone concentrations are negatively associated with carotid artery atherosclerosis in old women in Beijing, experimental and prospective studies are needed to determine the possible therapeutic role of testosterone in atherosclerosis.

Dependence Tree Structure Estimation via Copula

We propose an approach for dependence tree structure learning via copula. A nonparametric algorithm for copula estimation is presented. Then a Chow-Liu like method based on dependence measure via copula is proposed to estimate maximum spanning bivariate copula associated with bivariate dependence relations. The main advantage of the approach is that learning with empirical copula focuses on dependence relations among random variables, without the need to know the properties of individual variables as well as without the requirement to specify parametric family of entire underlying distribution for individual variables. Experiments on two real-application data sets show the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Spontaneous resolution of traumatic cataract after removal of a ferrous intravitreal foreign body using external magnetic extraction through a pars plana incision

Dear Editor,I am Dr.Zhi-Tao Su,from the Eye Center,Second Affiliated Hospital,School of Medicine,Zhejiang University,Hangzhou,China.I write to present a case of spontaneous resolution of a traumatic cataract resulted in good visual rehabilitation after removal of a ferrous intravitreal foreign body(IVFB).

Choroidal metastasis resembling hemangioma on angiogram as initial manifestation of lung adenocarcinoma

Dear Editor,We present a case of choroidal metastasis(CM)masquerading as circumscribed choroidal hemangioma as initial manifestation of lung adenocarcinoma.The study procedures were in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and were approved by the Institutional Review Board of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine.Written informed consent was obtained from the patient.

In Situ Directional Polymerization of Poly(1,3-dioxolane)Solid Electrolyte Induced by Cellulose Paper-Based Composite Separator for Lithium Metal Batteries

In traditional in situ polymerization preparation for solid-state electrolytes,initiators are directly added to the liquid precursor.In this article,a novel cellulose paper-based composite separator is fabricated,which employs alumina as the inorganic reinforcing material and is loaded with polymerization initiator aluminum trifluoromethanesulfonate.Based upon this,a separator-induced in situ directional polymerization technique is demonstrated,and the extra addition of initiators into liquid precursors is no longer required.The polymerization starts from the surface and interior of the separator and extends outward with the gradually dissolving of initiators into the precursor.Compared with its traditional counterpart,the separator-induced poly(1,3-dioxolane)electrolyte shows improved interfacial contact as well as appropriately mitigated polymerization rate,which are conducive to practical applications.Electrochemical measurement results show that the prepared poly(1,3-dioxolane)solid electrolyte possesses an oxidation potential up to 4.4 V and a high Li+transference number of 0.72.After 1000 cycles at 2 C rate(340 mA g^(−1)),the assembled Li||LiFePO_(4)solid battery possesses a 106.8 mAh g^(−1)discharge capacity retention and 83.5%capacity retention ratio,with high average Coulombic efficiency of 99.5%achieved.Our work may provide new ideas for the design and application of in situ polymerization technique for solid electrolytes and solid batteries.

Stable sodium anodes for sodium metal batteries(SMBs) enabled by in-situ formed quasi solid-state polymer electrolyte

A high-performance quasi-solid polymer electrolyte for sodium metal batteries(SMBs)based on in-situ polymerized poly(1,3-dioxolane)(DOL)with 20%volume ratio of fluoroethylene carbonate(FEC),termed"PDFE-20",is proposed in this work.It is demonstrated PDFE-20 possesses a room-temperature ionic conductivity of 3.31×10^(-3) S cm^(-1),an ionic diffusion activation energy of 0.10 eV,and an oxidation potential of 4.4 V.SMBs based on PDFE-20 and Na_(3)V_(2)(PO_(4))_(3)(NVP)cathodes were evaluated with an active material mass loading of 6.8 mg cm^(-2).The cell displayed an initial discharge specific capacity of 104 mA h g^(-1),and97.1%capacity retention after 100 cycles at 0.5 C.In-situ polymerization conformally coats the anode/-cathode interfaces,avoiding geometrical gaps and high charge transfer resistance with ex-situ polymerization of the same chemistry.FEC acts as a plasticizer during polymerization to suppress crystallization and significantly improves ionic transport.During battery cycling FEC promotes mechanical congruence of electrolyte-electrode interfaces while forming a stable NaF-rich solid electrolyte interphase(SEI)at the anode.Density functional theory(DFT)calculations were also performed to further understand the role FEC in the poly(DOL)-FEC electrolytes.This work broadens the application of in-situ prepared poly(DOL)electrolytes to sodium storage and demonstrates the crucial role of FEC in improving the electrochemical performance.

Experiments on Nanosecond Optical Parametric Generation for 486.0 nm in BBO Crystal

In this paper, an injection-seeded nanosecond optical parametric generation (OPG) using BBO crystal, which combines relatively low thresholds with a simple and compact configuration, was demonstrated. By seeding externally with distributed feedback (DFB) diode laser at 1313 nm wavelength, pumped by 355 nm laser pulse, the maximum blue laser output power of 1.36 W at a rate of 100 Hz and with linewidth less than 0.13 nm were obtained, and the maximum optical to optical conversion efficiency was to 21.2%.