Screening Methods for Waterlogging Tolerance at Maize (Zea mays L.) Seedling Stage

Waterlogging strongly affects agronomic performance of maize （Zea mays L.）. In order to investigate the suitable selection criteria of waterflooding tolerant genotypes, and identify the most susceptible stage and the best continuous treatment time to waterlogging, 20 common maize inbred lines were subjected to successive artificial waterflooding at seedling stage, and waterlogging tolerance coefficient （WTC） was used to screen waterflooding tolerant genotypes. In addition, peroxidase （POD） activities and malondialdehyde （MDA） contents were measured for 6 of 20 lines. The results showed that the second leaf stage （V2） was the most susceptible stage, and 6 d after waterflooding was the best continuous treatment time. Dry weight （DW） of both shoots and roots of all lines were significantly reduced at 6 d time-point of waterlogging, compared to control. POD activities and MDA contents were negatively and significantly correlated, and the correlation coefficient was -0.9686 （P 〈 0.0001）. According to the results, WTC of shoot DW can be used for practical screening as a suitable index, which is significantly different from control and waterlogged plants happened 6 d earlier. Furthermore, leaf chlorosis, MDA content and POD activities could also be used as reference index for material screening. The implications of the results for waterlogging-tolerant material screening and waterlogging-tolerant breeding have been discussed in maize.

Screening Method for Transgenic Maize with Kanamycin Resistance

[Objective]The paper was to establish simple and effective method to screen marker gene in maize with kanamycin resistance.[Method]Using inbred line "Chang 7-2" and hybrid "Zhengdan 958" of maize as test materials,their seeds were soaked with different concentrations and volumes of kanamycin for3 and 4 d,respectively,the rate of albino seedlings and average seedling height after sowing for10 d were investigated.[Result]The rate of albino seedlings not only was related to kanamycin concentration,but also had relationship with solution volume during soaking process.The difference between inbred line and hybrid was no significant.When 100 ml of kanamycin solution with concentration of 200 mg/L was used to soak seeds for 3 d,the rate of albino seedlings basically could reach 100%.When 100 ml of kanamycin solution with concentration of 100 mg/L was used to soak 20 seeds for 3 d to carry out resistance screening,the accuracy was up to 84.8% after verifying the screening test of T1 transgenic maize plants.[Conclusion]The method was feasible,which could be used as a simple method for screening transgenic gene maize with kanamycin resistance.

Comparison of North American Seismic Screening Methods Applied to School Buildings

An ongoing project at McGill University is aimed at developing an adapted seismic screening method for schools in the province of Qu6bec, Canada. As part of this project the ＂FEMA 154 Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Hazard＂ and the ＂NRC92 Manual for Screening of Buildings for Seismic Investigation＂ were used to assess 102 school buildings located in the city of Montr6al. Results for both methods are in reasonable agreement, with 65% of the buildings requiring a detailed evaluation according to FEMAI54 and 50% according to NRC92. Findings highlighted the particular characteristics of educational facilities： they are low rise buildings with high incidence of structural irregularities. Accounting for them in the screening phase is essential, and is better achieved by NRC92. However, this method is largely based on expert opinion, which makes it difficult to update, while FEMA154 uses a rational methodology for calculating vulnerability scores based on the capacity spectrum approach. The FEMA154 analytical procedure allows updating and adapting the method to its use outside its intended scope.

Isolating cDNA clones from rice induced by Magnaporthe grisea using PCR based differential screening method

The differential hybridization technique hasbeen widely used to identify genes that are dif-ferentially expressed.However,this approachhas several drawbacks.First,the screeningprocedures are rather labor-intensive and time-consuming.Second,the amount of phageDNAs transferred onto the two filters may notbe equivalent,which leads to an inaccurate se-lection of a positive clone.Third,isolation ofphage DNA is slow and cumbersome.Here,aPCR based differential screening method that

Study on a noninvasive method for rapid screening Human Serum albumin injectables by Raman spectroscopy

Human serum albumin(HSA)injectable product is a severely afflicted area on drug safety due to its high price and restricted supply.Raman spectroscopy performances high specificity on HSA detection and it is even possible to determine HSA injectable products noninvasively.In this study,we developed a noninvasive rapid screening method for of HSA injectable products by using portable Raman spectrometer.Qualitative models were established by using principal component analysis combined with classical least squares(PCA-CLS)algorithm,while quanti-tative model was established by using partial least squares(PLS)algorithm.Model transfer in different instruments of both the same and different apparatus modules was further discussed in this paper.A total of 34 HSA injectable samples collected from markets were used for verification.The identification results showed 100%accuracy and the predicted concentrations of those identified as true HSA were consistent with their labeled concentrations.The quantitative results also indicated that model transfer was excellent in the same apparatus modules of Raman spectrometer at all concentration levels,and still good enough in the different apparatus modules although the relative standard deviation(RSD)value showed a little increasing trend at low HSA concentration level.In conclusion,the method was proved to be feasible and efficient for screening HSA injections,especially on its screening speed and the consideration of glass containers.Moreover,with inspiring results on the model transfer,the method could be used as a universal screening mean to different Raman instruments.

Electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE)as a Method for Screening Species of Passiflora Using Seed Proteins as Molecular Markers

Brazil is the center of diversity and dispersion of species of the genus Passiflora.Two species of passion fruit Passiflora tenuifila BRS VT(passiflora garlic)and another of Passiflora setacea BRS PC were used in this study.The plants were grown on the Embrapa Cerrados experimental farm.The fruits were washed,minimally cut and their constituents separated.Both species differed in the proportion of wet mass between husk,seed,and pulp.As expected,both species had a higher proportion of husks and seeds and a lower amount of pulp.A semi-purification procedure for the proteins present in the seeds and husks was described and the molecular aspects were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis(SDS-PAGE).The quantification of soluble proteins was performed using the Bradford method.The analysis of the soluble protein extracted from the seeds and husks showed that these values are up to 70 times higher for the seeds of P.tenuifila and 28.5 times for P.setacea,in the husks.It was verified that both species present a similar protein profile,observed by the intense and diverse bands found in the polyacrylamide gel,mainly in the range of 32 to 19 kDa.This work opens up an unexplored field of tracking bioactive proteins and/or peptides including forms of nanostructure systems that protect other bioactive molecules.The objective of this work was to present an analytical procedure to semi-purify seed proteins of two Passiflora species and use electrophoresis as an analysis tool for further screening of their protein profiles and selection of a molecular marker to differentiate them.

Integrated identification method of rheological model of sandstone in Sanmenxia bauxite

Based on the uniaxial compression creep experiments conducted on bauxite sandstone obtained from Sanmenxia,typical creep experiment curves were obtained.From the characteristics of strain component of creep curves,the creep strain is composed of instantaneous elastic strain,ε（me）,instantaneous plastic strain,ε（mp）,viscoelastic strain,ε（ce）,and viscoplastic strain,ε（cp）.Based on the characteristics of instantaneous plastic strain,a new element of instantaneous plastic rheology was introduced,instantaneous plastic modulus was defined,and the modified Burgers model was established.Then identification of direct screening method in this model was completed.According to the mechanical properties of rheological elements,one- and three-dimensional creep equations in different stress levels were obtained.One-dimensional model parameters were identified by the method of least squares,and in the process of computation,Gauss-Newton iteration method was applied.Finally,by fitting the experimental curves,the correctness of direct method model was verified,then the examination of posterior exclusive method of the model was accomplished.The results showed that in the improved Burgers models,the rheological characteristics of sandstone are embodied properly,microscopic analysis of creep curves is also achieved,and the correctness of comprehensive identification method of rheological model is verified.

Ecological impact assessment method of highways in Tibetan Plateau:A Case study of Gonghe-Yushu Expressway

In recent years,the ecological environment along highways in Tibetan Plateau has been severely affected due to the rapid construction of highways.In order to solve the problems of multiple indicators and inconsistent criteria in the ecological impact assessment of highways,and to scientifically screen assessment indicators,the paper proposes a multi-round indicator screening method,which combines literature analysis,expert rating,and statistical analysis.Based on this screening method,normalized difference vegetation index,land surface temperature,elevation,and normalized difference soil index are screened out.Combined with multiple linear regression,an ecological impact assessment model is established and applied to ecological impact assessment of Gonghe-Yushu Expressway.The results show that the expressway construction is the first driving force for the deterioration of the ecological environment along the roadside,and its interference range on the desert grassland ecosystem is greater than that on the agroforestry system.The ecological environment within 150 m on both sides of the expressway should be protected.

A Local Sparse Screening Identification Algorithm with Applications

Extracting nonlinear governing equations from noisy data is a central challenge in the analysis of complicated nonlinear behaviors.Despite researchers follow the sparse identification nonlinear dynamics algorithm(SINDy)rule to restore nonlinear equations,there also exist obstacles.One is the excessive dependence on empirical parameters,which increases the difficulty of data pre-processing.Another one is the coexistence of multiple coefficient vectors,which causes the optimal solution to be drowned in multiple solutions.The third one is the composition of basic function,which is exclusively applicable to specific equations.In this article,a local sparse screening identification algorithm(LSSI)is proposed to identify nonlinear systems.First,we present the k-neighbor parameter to replace all empirical parameters in data filtering.Second,we combine the mean error screening method with the SINDy algorithm to select the optimal one from multiple solutions.Third,the time variable t is introduced to expand the scope of the SINDy algorithm.Finally,the LSSI algorithm is applied to recover a classic ODE and a bi-stable energy harvester system.The results show that the new algorithm improves the ability of noise immunity and optimal parameters identification provides a desired foundation for nonlinear analyses.

Rapid Screening of 82 Pesticide Residues in Feed by Liquid Chromatography Coupled with Quadrupole-Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry

[Objectives]This study was conducted to establish a qualitative method for rapid detection of pesticide residues in feed.[Methods]A rapid screening method for 82 pesticide residues in feed was established using ultra liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole-time of flight mass spectrometry(UPLC-Q-TOF-MS)combined with optimized pretreatment methods.[Results]Feed samples were extracted with 0.2%formic acid-acetonitrile solution,shaken,centrifuged,and re-centrifuged,and the supernatant was filtered with a 0.22μm filter membrane for determination.The samples were separated on a Waters ACQUITY UPLC HSS T3 chromatographic column(2.1 mm×50 mm,1.8μm),and subjected to gradient elution with methanol-water solution as the mobile phase,and scanning was performed in ESI+mode.82 compounds could be accurately qualitatively detected in 13 min.[Conclusions]This method is simple to operate,time-saving,and can be applied to rapid screening of large-scale feed.This study provides a theoretical basis for the development of new methods in the future.

Screening efficiency and screen length of a linear vibrating screen using DEM 3D simulation

The effect of screen length on the screening efficiency of particles is studied under various single parameter conditions including frequency, amplitude, vibration angle, and screen inclination. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) has been used to simulate the screening process. A functional relationship between screening efficiency and screen length is established. It is shown that screening efficiency and screen length have a complicated exponential relationship. Relationships between them are profoundly discussed and conclusions are easily drawn: low values of the parameters do not benefit screening; screening efficiency generally increases with screen length; screening efficiency reaches a plateau when these parameters are in range frequently encountered in practical applications.

Influence of vibration mode on the screening process

The screening of particles with different vibration modes was simulated by means of a 3D discrete element method (3D-DEM). The motion and penetration of the particles on the screen deck were analyzed for linear, circular and elliptical vibration of the screen. The results show that the travel velocity of the particles is the fastest, but the screening efficiency is the lowest, for the linear vibration mode. The circular motion resulted in the highest screening efficiency, but the lowest particle travel velocity. In the steady state the screening efficiency for each mode is seen to increase gradually along the longitudinal direction of the deck. The screening efficiency increment of the circular mode is the largest while the linear mode shows the smallest increment. The volume fraction of near-mesh size particles at the underside is larger than that of small size particles all along the screen deck. Linear screening mode has more near-mesh and small size particles on the first three deck sections, and fewer on the last two sections, compared to the circular or elliptical modes.

Identifying barriers to early diagnosis of breast cancer and perception of women in Malwa region of Punjab,India

Objective:The aim of present study is to identify the breast cancer screening barriers among the women with breast cancer of Malwa region of Punjab,India.The study was conducted at three government hospitals representing almost all districts of Malwa region.Methods:The quantitative research design was followed using empirical research methods.Study was carried out by one-to-one interview by the field investigator and research assistant.Total of 363 breast cancer patient has been interviewed through the scheduled questionnaire and results has been recorded for further analysis.In this study,five barriers are described namely as personal barriers,socio-cultural barriers,economic barriers,health­system barriers,and treatment barriers which contains various questions regarding barriers to breast cancer screening.Univariate analysis methods have been used for the analysis to access the socio-demographic profile of women.Data has been obtained with the help of 5-point liker scale.Binary logistic model was chosen.Results:Majority of participants were in the age groups 50-<60 years(3&6%,140/363)and>60 years(31.1%,112/363).Majority of these women(47.4%,171/363)were illiterate and most of them were housewives.The major barriers to breast cancer screening faced by most of the women were having no knowledge about screening services(90.9%,329/363),the importance of early diagnosis(90.9%,329/363),different screening methods(95.5%,347/363)and place of availing screening services(91.2%,330/363)misguided belief in God and fate(81.5%,295/363)and preferring duties than taking care of health(70.2%,254/363).Education qualification(odds ratio[OR]0.74,β'=-0.309,t=-5.357,P=0.000)and socioeconomic class(OR 1.43,β’=0.354,t=3.399,P=0.001)were found to be significant determinant of the barriers among women.Conclusion:The survey was conducted in the women between the age 40-60 years and as an outcome,the unawareness about screening services,fatalistic attitude,fear of being diagnosed with the cancer,low per capita income was found out significant factors that restricted the women for early check-up for the breast cancer.

Accuracy and Precision of Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) Analysis of Trace and Major Elements in Rock Standard Reference Materials Using Fine Powder

In this work the performance of a screening analytical method for Energy Dispersive X-Ray Fluorescence (EDXRF) analysis in terms of accuracy and precision was evaluated through analysis of rock standard reference materials. The method allowed the division of elements into four groups taking into account the excitation energies and measurement conditions of the sample. Two standard reference materials were used and 15 sample replicates were prepared and analyzed, then statistics were applied to assess the precision and accuracy of analytical results. The obtained results show that major compounds or elements (SiO2, P2O5, K2O, CaO, Fe2O3, Ti) can be determined in fine powder sample with a deviation lower than 15%, and a relative standard deviation in the range (1 - 10)%. The deviation was found to be lower than 5% for major compounds such as K2O, and CaO, which suggest that the EDXRF is accurate in evaluating major elemental concentrations in rock samples. It was also found that the method seems to be more accurate and precise for major elements than for trace element investigation. This screening analytical method can be used for routine analysis with acceptable results, even though the method should be optimized to increase its precision and accuracy.

An Improved Open-Top Chamber with Solar-Heated Double Funnels That Can Adapt to All Wind Directions for Simulating Future Global Warming Conditions in Rice Paddy Fields

An Open-Top Chamber with Solar-heated Double Funnels (OTC-SDF2) that uses solar energy as a heating source was developed in this study. Two air entry/exit funnels were connected to the OTC via flat tunnels through which air was warmed by solar radiation. The new apparatus increased the air temperature by approximately 1°C throughout the chamber when more than half the energy of full sunlight was supplied. Although air flow occurs in only two directions, a nearly constant temperature increase was observed for each wind direction. This increase in temperature was stable for 1 mˉs to 4 mˉs wind speeds in every direction. This degree of warming may be adequate for screening high-temperature tolerant plants from medium to weak cultivars. The OTC-SDF2 has the potential to provide moderately high-temperature treatments for screening various cultivars/strains and may be used to evaluate easy, low-cost cropping methods associated with high-temperature stresses.

A High-Throughput Method for Screening Arabidopsis Mutants with Disordered Abiotic Stress-Induced Calcium Signal

It is established that different stresses cause signal-specific changes in cellular Ca2 ~ level, which function as messengers in modulating diverse physiological processes. These calcium signals are important for stress adaptation. Though numbers of downstream components of calcium signal cascades have been identified, upstream events in calcium signal remain elusive, specifically components required l＇~~r calcium signal generation due to the lack of high-throughput genetic assay. Here, we report the development of an easy and efficient method in a forward genetic screen for Ca2＋ signals-deficient mutants in Arahidopsis thaliana. Using this method, 121 mutants with disordered NaCI- and H=O2-induced Ca2＋ signals are isolated.

DEM simulation of particle flow on a single deck banana screen

A mathematical study of particle flow on a banana screen deck using the discrete element method (DEM) was presented in this paper. The motion characteristics and penetrating mechanisms of particles on the screen deck were studied. Effects of geometric parameters of screen deck on banana screening process were also investigated. The results show that when the values of inclination of discharge and increment of screen deck inclination are 10° and 5° respectively, the banana screening process get a good screening performance in the simulation. The relationship between screen deck length and screening efficiency was further confirmed. The conclusion that the screening efficiency will not significantly increase when the deck length L≥430 mm (L/B ≥ 3.5) was obtained, which can provide theoretical basis for the optimization of banana screen.

Static-deformation based fault diagnosis for damping spring of large vibrating screen

Based on the statics theory, a novel and feasible twice-suspended-mass method(TSMM) was proposed to deal with the seldom-studied issue of fault diagnosis for damping springs of large vibrating screen(LVS). With the static balance characteristic of the screen body/surface as well as the deformation compatibility relation of springs considered, static model of the screen surface under a certain load was established to calculate compression deformation of each spring. Accuracy of the model was validated by both an experiment based on the suspended mass method and the properties of the 3D deformation space in a numerical simulation. Furthermore, by adopting the Taylor formula and the control variate method, quantitative relationship between the change of damping spring deformation and the change of spring stiffness, defined as the deformation sensitive coefficient(DSC), was derived mathematically, from which principle of the TSMM for spring fault diagnosis is clarified. In the end, an experiment was carried out and results show that the TSMM is applicable for diagnosing the fault of single spring in a LVS.