Genetic analysis and gene mapping of a dominant presenescing leaf gene <Emphasis Type="Italic">PSL3</Emphasis> in rice (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Oryza sativa</Emphasis> L.)

Leaf senescence as an active process is essential for plant survival and reproduction. However, premature senility is harmful to agricultural production. In this study, a rice mutant, named as psl3 (presescing leaf 3) isolated from EMS-treated Jinhui 10, displays obvious premature senility features both in morphological and physiological level. Genetic analysis showed that mutant trait was controlled by a single dominant gene (PSL3), which was located on rice chromosome 7 between SSR marker c7sr1 and InDel marker ID10 with an interval of 53.5 kb. The result may be useful for the isolation of the PSL3 gene.     

Dynamics of phytoplankton and picoplankton over a tidal cycle in a subtropical lagoon

The influences of a tidal cycle on the distribution of autotrophic plankton were investigated in a hyper-eutrophic lagoon designated as a scenic area. Results showed that the highest concentrations of picoplankton and phytoplankton were found in the middle and inner part of the lagoon, irrespective of the tides. The MDS result also revealed that phytoplankton communities, dominated by Ceratium furca, were similar among stations in the inner bay during both flood tides and ebb tides. The time series sampling results at the inlet-outlet channel revealed that almost the same amounts of phytoplankton and picoplankton were carried through the channel during flood and ebb tides, with no trend in nutrient fluctuations except for phosphate which had a net loss from the lagoon. The results showed that tidal cycles do not effectively flush away phytoplankton and picoplankton from the lagoon, and the blooming of phyto- and picoplankton is inevitable should the situation stay the same. Steps are needed to alleviate the eutrophication condition instead of depending on the natural process such as tidal cycle.     

I-doping of anodized TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanotubes using an electrochemical method

In order to obtain TiO2 with high photocatalytic activity, a cathode reduction was used to dope I⁷⁺ and I⁵⁺ into TiO₂ nanotubes of anodized Ti in C₂H₂O₄•2H₂O + NH₄F electrolyte. SEM images show that the anodization method integrated the preparation with the doping process, which for nonmetals-doping is advantageous to maintain the morphological integrity of TiO₂ nanotubes. I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doping enhances the UV response of TiO₂ and result in a red-shift. Under UV/visible irradiation, a I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doped sample (400°C) showed the highest I_ph and photocatalytic efficiency. A part of I^– in the I⁷⁺-I⁵⁺-doped sample is involved in the UV response, the red-shift and the higher I_ph.     

Perfluorinated compounds in milk,milk powder and yoghurt purchased from markets in China

The exposure to perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) through the diet for humans is of great concern. Among the diet, dairy products are in great demand. This paper reports the study on the levels of 9 perfluorinated acids and 2 fluorotelomer acids in milk, milk powder and yoghurt purchased from Chinese markets from 2008 to 2009. The analytes were quantitated by high performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-MS/MS). In milk samples, perfluoroheptanoic acid (PFHpA) and perf...     

Preparation of photoanode and its application to flexible dye-sensitized solar cells

A TiO2 slurry was prepared by hydrothermal treating mixture of commercial TiO2 (P25),ethanol and distilled water in an autoclave.A flexible photoanode and dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) was fabricated on an ITO-coated poly (ethylene naphthalate) sheet (ITO/PEN) substrate by a doctor-blade technique.The sample was characterized with SEM,UV-vis,FTIR,and the photoelectric properties of the DSSC were measured.The influence of preparation conditions on the properties of the flexible DSSC was investigated.It is...     

Rupture process of the Wenchuan <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>8.0 earthquake of Sichuan China: the segmentation feature

Moment tensor solution, rupture process and rupture characteristics of the great Wenchuan M8.0 earthquake are studied by using 39 long-period P and SH waveforms with evenly azimuth coverage of stations. Our results reveal that the Wenchuan M8.0 event consisted of 5 sub-events of Mw≥7.3 occurring succesively in time and space. Rupture started with a Mw7.3 introductory strike-slip faulting in the first 12 s, then within 12?40 s, two sub-events with Mw7.6 and Mw7.4 occurred within 80 km northeast from the init...     

Influence of the cobalt concentration on optical and magnetic properties of zinc oxide

A series of Co-doped ZnO thin films have been prepared by direct current reactive magnetron sputtering on glass substrates.The structural characterization by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) gave no evidence of second phase formation.The qualitative composition and chemical state were characterized by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray photoelectronic spectrometry (XPS),respectively.The results confirmed that Co was incorporated as Co3+,occupying the ...     

A DNA length reducing computing model for maximum independent set problem

In this paper, a new molecular computing model is developed to solve the maximum independent set problem, based on the method of DNA length reducing. To solve the maximum independent set problem with n-vertices and m-edges, the time complexity is O(n+m). With the enlargement of the problem scale, the numbers of the required tubes will increase linearly. Two important methods in this experiment are single strand DNA (ssDNA) circularization and DNA length reducing. In addition, using reverse polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and circligase, the structure of DNA molecules is changed in each computing step, transforming from linear double strand DNA (dsDNA) to linear ssDNA and circular ssDNA. Using the circular DNA structure, the recombina-tion among DNA molecules is avoided. To verify this computing model, a small maximum independent set problem was solved.     

Predicted methylation landscape of all CpG islands on the human genome

CpG island methylation plays important role in various biological processes. To investigate methylation landscape of all CpG islands on the human genome, we develop a model for predicting the CpG island methylation status. This model outperforms other existing methods. We apply the model on the whole human genome and predict the landscape of DNA methylation of all CpG islands. Based on the methylation profile, we find that about 31% of CpG islands are methylation-prone and CpG islands located in promoter regions are seldom methylated. There is no significant difference in the CpG island methylation level between R and G bands among the chromosomes. The occupancy of RNA polymerase II is significantly higher in methylation-resistant promoter CpG islands, indicating that genes with such promoter CpG islands tend to be more active.     

Response of Zhadang Glacier runoff in Nam Co Basin,Tibet, to changes in air temperature and precipitation form

This paper describes 2007/2008 inter-annual changes in runoff from the Zhadang Glacier located on the northern slope of Nyainqêntanglha Range, Tibet, and analyzes their causes. Precipitation increased by 17.9% in summer months of 2008 compared with the same period in 2007, drainage basin runoff decreased by 33.3%, and glacial meltwater decreased by 53.8%. Change in positive accumulated air temperature explained approximately half of the inter-annual difference in glacial meltwater using a de-gree-day model. This suggests that the glacier is extremely sensitive to changes in air temperature. Energy balance analysis showed that change in glacier surface albedo, considered to be caused by difference in precipitation form, resulted in the large inter-annual difference in glacial meltwater. It was shown statistically that precipitation form in the summer months of 2007 was mainly rainfall which comprised 71.5% of total precipitation, while during the same period in 2008 rainfall accounted for 30.7%, with the majority of precipitation falling as snow. Precipitation form should be considered an independent factor when analyzing glacier sensitivity to climate change or forecasting the runoff from certain glaciers.