QTL IciMapping is freely available public software capable of building high-density linkage maps and mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) in biparental populations. Eight functionalities are ...integrated in this software package: (1) BIN: binning of redundant markers; (2) MAP: construction of linkage maps in biparental populations; (3) CMP: consensus map construction from multiple linkage maps sharing common markers; (4) SDL: mapping of segregation distortion loci; (5) BIP: mapping of additive, dominant, and digenic epistasis genes; (6) MET: QTL-by-environment interaction analysis; (7) CSL: mapping of additive and digenic epistasis genes with chromosome segment substitution lines; and (8) NAM: QTL mapping in NAM populations. Input files can be arranged in plain text, MS Excel 2003, or MS Excel 2007 formats. Output files have the same prefix name as the input but with different extensions. As examples, there are two output files in BIN, one for summarizing the identified bin groups and deleted markers in each bin, and the other for using the MAP functionality. Eight output files are generated by MAP, including summary of the completed linkage maps, Mendelian ratio test of individual markers, estimates of recombination frequencies, LOD scores, and genetic distances, and the input files for using the BIP, SDL, and MET functionalities. More than 30 output files are generated by BIP, including results at all scanning positions, identified QTL, permutation tests, and detection powers for up to six mapping methods. Three supplementary tools have also been developed to display completed genetic linkage maps, to estimate recombination frequency between two loci, and to perform analysis of variance for multi-environmental trials.
The dependence of properties on the structure and morphology of semicrystalline polymers offers an effective way to tailor the properties of these materials through crystal engineering. For ...purposeful control of the structure and morphology, and therefore the physical and mechanical properties, a full understanding of the crystallization habits of polymers under different environments and conditions is essential. This has stimulated a mass of research work on polymer crystallization. Considering that these materials are frequently in contact with some kinds of solid surfaces in a variety of applications, surface-induced crystallization of polymers has attracted considerable attention during the past decades. This Perspective provides the context as to how the solid surface influences the crystallization behavior of polymers and what kinds of unique crystal structure and morphology of the polymers can be fabricated. We hope that this will afford useful information for polymer processing in different application fields and promote the technical development of new methods of preparation of polymeric materials for advanced applications.
The exploitation of deep-blue polymeric emitters is of great importance for the application of solution-processed organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in full color display. The highly efficient ...deep-blue thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) polymers are rarely reported up to now. Herein, we developed a series of deep-blue TADF polymers to fabricate highly efficient nondoped solution-processed OLEDs. By incorporating appropriate host with high triplet energy and deep-blue emitter with high fluorescent efficiency, the polymers are endowed with distinct TADF features. Using these deep-blue polymeric emitters, the nondoped single polymer based OLEDs achieve a maximum external quantum efficiency of 5.3% with the Commission Internationale de L’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.15, 0.09), which represents the state-of-the-art device performance for the TADF-based deep-blue polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs).
Abstract Background & Aims In colorectal tumors, hypoxia causes resistance to therapy and promotes metastasis. Loss of the tumor suppressor p53 (encoded by TP53) provides cancer cells with a ...selective advantage under conditions of hypoxia, but little is known about the mediators of this effect. Methods Isogenic CRC cell lines with different TP53 genotypes were placed under conditions of hypoxia. We examined the effects on levels and activity of microRNA-34 a (MIR34A) in CRC cells. We determined the expression and localization of protein phosphatase 1 regulatory inhibitor subunit 11 (PPP1R11, also called HCGV, IPP3, HCGV, TCTE5, TCTEX5, or CFAP255) in 82 human colon cancers. We analyzed data on human colorectal carcinomas from the Cancer Genome Atlas collection to determine whether expression of PPP1R11 was affected by altered level or activity of p53, markers of EMT, or MIR34A or was associated with metastasis. We determined the effects of disruption miR34a, miR34b, and miR34c in ApcMin/+ mice. DLD-1 cells were transfected with small inhibitor RNAs against PPP1R1, injected into the tail veins of immune-compromised mice, and followed by noninvasive bioluminescence imaging. Results The hypoxia inducible factor 1 alpha subunit (HIF1A) directly repressed the MIR34a gene in p53-defective CRC cells, whereas expression MIR34a was induced in p53-proficient CRC cells exposed to hypoxia. Down-regulation of MIR34a was required for hypoxia-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion and migration, and activation of STAT3 in CRC cells. We identified PPP1R11, whose product inhibits PP1, as a target of MIR34a. PPP1R11 mediates phosphorylation (activation) of STAT3, so expression of MIR34a reduced activation of STAT3 in p53-negative CRC cells. Ectopic expression of PPP1R11 in CRC cells induced EMT, invasion, and migration, which all required STAT3. Increased expression of PPP1R11 in p53-negative CRC cells was required for hypoxia-induced EMT, invasion, migration, and resistance to 5-fluorouracil, as well as metastasis of xenograft tumors to lungs of mice. Adenomas and derived tumoroids of ApcMin/+ mice with disruption miR34a, mir34b, or mir34c had increased levels of PPP1R11. Colorectal tumors from patients had increased levels of PPP1R11 at areas of invasion, compared with other areas of the tumor; increased level PPP1R11 associated with p53 mutations and metastasis to liver. Conclusions HIF1A represses, whereas p53 increases, expression of MIR34a in CRC cells. MIR34a reduces expression of PPP1R11 to prevent activation of STAT3 and inhibit the EMT and metastasis. Strategies to target this pathway might be developed to inhibit CRC metastasis and overcome resistance to therapy associated with hypoxia.
Intelligent process control and automation systems require verification authentication through digital or handwritten signatures. Digital copies of handwritten signatures have different pixel ...intensities and spatial variations due to the factors of the surface, writing object, etc. On the verge of this fluctuating drawback for control systems, this manuscript introduces a Spatial Variation-dependent Verification (SVV) scheme using textural features (TF). The handwritten and digital signatures are first verified for their pixel intensities for identification point detection. This identification point varies with the signature's pattern, region, and texture. The identified point is spatially mapped with the digital signature for verifying the textural feature matching. The textural features are extracted between two successive identification points to prevent cumulative false positives. A convolution neural network aids this process for layered analysis. The first layer is responsible for generating new identification points, and the second layer is responsible for selecting the maximum matching feature for varying intensity. This is non-recurrent for the different textures exhibited as the false factor cuts down the iterated verification. Therefore, the maximum matching features are used for verifying the signatures without high false positives. The proposed scheme's performance is verified using accuracy, precision, texture detection, false positives, and verification time.
we report three types of pulse generation in Yb-doped nonlinear polarization rotation mode-locked fiber lasers in all-normal-dispersion regime through simulation, including dissipative soliton, ...dissipative soliton resonance and noise-like pulse. We distinguish the different conditions of generating such different pulses by analyzing the transmission curve of saturable absorber, which plays a key role in pulse shaping.
In polymer processing operations, the molten polymer chains are frequently subjected to shear or/and elongation flow fields, which will produce molecular chain orientation of the melt. This leads to ...the orientation-induced crystallization has been an important subject in the field of polymer physics. Systematic studies indicated that the chain orientation influences the crystallization kinetics, the final morphology as well as the polymorphic behavior of the polymers. In this article, the effects of preorientation on the crystallization of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) concerning the above mentioned aspects have been reviewed. In particular, the formation mechanism of orientation-induced β-iPP crystallization has been discussed according to the recent experimental results. It is suggested that the local order of the macromolecular chain segments in the melt is most important for β-nucleation of iPP. The formation of β-iPP nuclei may be restricted in a certain chain orientation window of the iPP melts. Chain orientation outside of this window results in the formation of α-iPP.
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riboCIRC is a translatome data-oriented circRNA database specifically designed for hosting, exploring, analyzing, and visualizing translatable circRNAs from multi-species. The database provides a ...comprehensive repository of computationally predicted ribosome-associated circRNAs; a manually curated collection of experimentally verified translated circRNAs; an evaluation of cross-species conservation of translatable circRNAs; a systematic de novo annotation of putative circRNA-encoded peptides, including sequence, structure, and function; and a genome browser to visualize the context-specific occupant footprints of circRNAs. It represents a valuable resource for the circRNA research community and is publicly available at http://www.ribocirc.com .
Plants produce a variety of metabolites that have a critical role in growth and development. Here we present a comprehensive study of maize metabolism, combining genetic, metabolite and expression ...profiling methodologies to dissect the genetic basis of metabolic diversity in maize kernels. We quantify 983 metabolite features in 702 maize genotypes planted at multiple locations. We identify 1,459 significant locus-trait associations (P≤1.8 × 10(-6)) across three environments through metabolite-based genome-wide association mapping. Most (58.5%) of the identified loci are supported by expression QTLs, and some (14.7%) are validated through linkage mapping. Re-sequencing and candidate gene association analysis identifies potential causal variants for five candidate genes involved in metabolic traits. Two of these genes were further validated by mutant and transgenic analysis. Metabolite features associated with kernel weight could be used as biomarkers to facilitate genetic improvement of maize.
Composite interval mapping (CIM) is the most commonly used method for mapping quantitative trait loci (QTL) with populations derived from biparental crosses. However, the algorithm implemented in the ...popular QTL Cartographer software may not completely ensure all its advantageous properties. In addition, different background marker selection methods may give very different mapping results, and the nature of the preferred method is not clear. A modified algorithm called inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) is proposed in this article. In ICIM, marker selection is conducted only once through stepwise regression by considering all marker information simultaneously, and the phenotypic values are then adjusted by all markers retained in the regression equation except the two markers flanking the current mapping interval. The adjusted phenotypic values are finally used in interval mapping (IM). The modified algorithm has a simpler form than that used in CIM, but a faster convergence speed. ICIM retains all advantages of CIM over IM and avoids the possible increase of sampling variance and the complicated background marker selection process in CIM. Extensive simulations using two genomes and various genetic models indicated that ICIM has increased detection power, a reduced false detection rate, and less biased estimates of QTL effects.
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