A genetic analysis of the resistance in barley to .

(SBWMV), a ubiquitous pathogen commonly encountered in temperate regions of the Northern hemisphere, can damage a number of economically important cereal crops, notably wheat and barley. Given that the plasmodiophorid cercozoan , which acts as the vector of SBWMV, can survive in the soil for many decades, the only feasible control measure is the deployment of resistant cultivars. Here, a quantitative trait locus (QTL) approach was taken to characterize the genetic basis of the SBWMV resistance exhibited by the barley cultivar Haruna Nijo.

Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) Mapping and In-situ Observation of Carbonization of Culms of Bambusa Multiplex.

Green culms of bamboo and charcoal of Bambusa multiplex were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) mapping. A dynamic observation of the initial stage of carbonization was also performed in-situ by heating a radial longitudinal section of the bamboo culm at a rate of 20°C/min up to 500°C. EDS mapping of the green bamboo culms detected Si signals in the harder cells such as the epidermis (Ep), cortex (Cor) and vascular bundle sheath (Bs) and between these cells as silicon oxide particles.

Structural investigations on green culms and charcoal of Bambusa multiplex.

Green culms of Bambusa multiplex and the bamboo charcoal carbonized from the green culms at 700°C have been studied by means of X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescent element analysis, analytical scanning electron microscopy, and analytical scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), aiming at industrial applications as raw materials for functional devices and substances. It is revealed that the green culms and the charcoal contain a significant amount of Si, in particular, ∼18 wt % in the skin. The green culms comprise amorphous and crystalline celluloses.

Solid-state NMR meets electron diffraction: determination of crystalline polymorphs of small organic microcrystalline samples.

A combination of solid-state NMR (ssNMR) and electron diffraction (ED) has been used to determine the crystalline polymorphs in small-organic microcrystalline molecules. Although C cross-polarization magic angle spinning (CPMAS) is a widely used method for determining crystalline polymorphs, even in a mixture, it sometimes fails if the molecular conformations are similar. On the other hand, ED can, in principle, differentiate crystalline forms with different lattice parameters, even when they have very similar molecular conformations.

Draft genome sequence of an inbred line of Chenopodium quinoa, an allotetraploid crop with great environmental adaptability and outstanding nutritional properties.

Chenopodium quinoa Willd. (quinoa) originated from the Andean region of South America, and is a pseudocereal crop of the Amaranthaceae family. Quinoa is emerging as an important crop with the potential to contribute to food security worldwide and is considered to be an optimal food source for astronauts, due to its outstanding nutritional profile and ability to tolerate stressful environments.

The Birth of a Black Rice Gene and Its Local Spread by Introgression.

The origin and spread of novel agronomic traits during crop domestication are complex events in plant evolution. Wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) has red grains due to the accumulation of proanthocyanidins, whereas most cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) varieties have white grains induced by a defective allele in the Rc basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) gene. Although the events surrounding the origin and spread of black rice traits remain unknown, varieties with black grains due to anthocyanin accumulation are distributed in various locations throughout Asia.

Three-dimensional chemical mapping by EFTEM-TomoJ including improvement of SNR by PCA and ART reconstruction of volume by noise suppression.

Electron tomography is becoming one of the most used methods for structural analysis at nanometric scale in biological and materials sciences. Combined with chemical mapping, it provides qualitative and semiquantitative information on the distribution of chemical elements on a given sample. Due to the current difficulties in obtaining three-dimensional (3D) maps by energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM), the use of 3D chemical mapping has not been widely adopted by the electron microscopy community.

Performances of an 80-200 kV microscope employing a cold-FEG and an aberration-corrected objective lens.

The performances of a newly developed 80-200 kV cold field emission gun (CFEG) transmission electron microscope (TEM) integrating a spherical aberration corrector for a TEM image-forming lens have been evaluated. To begin, we show that the stability of both emission and probe currents makes use of this new CFEG much friendlier. The energy spread of electrons emitted from the CFEG has been measured as a function of emission current and shows a very last 0.

The bHLH Rac Immunity1 (RAI1) Is Activated by OsRac1 via OsMAPK3 and OsMAPK6 in Rice Immunity.

The Rac/Rop GTPase OsRac1 plays an essential role in rice immunity. However, the regulatory genes acting downstream of OsRac1 are largely unknown. We focused on the RAI1 gene, which is up-regulated in suspension cells expressing a constitutively active form of OsRac1.

Signal peptide peptidases are expressed in the shoot apex of rice, localized to the endoplasmic reticulum.

Signal peptide peptidase (SPP) is a multi-transmembrane aspartic proteinase involved in regulated intramembrane proteolysis, which is implicated in fundamental life processes such as immunological response, cell signaling, tissue differentiation, and embryogenesis. In this study, we identified two rice SPPs: OsSPP1 and OsSPP2. Green fluorescent protein-fused OsSPP1 and OsSPP2 were localized to the ER in cultured plant cells.

Expression level of ABERRANT PANICLE ORGANIZATION1 determines rice inflorescence form through control of cell proliferation in the meristem.

Two types of branches, rachis branches (i.e. nonfloral) and spikelets (i.

Two-Step Regulation of LAX PANICLE1 Protein Accumulation in Axillary Meristem Formation in Rice.

Axillary meristem (AM) formation is an important determinant of plant architecture. In rice (Oryza sativa), LAX PANICLE1 (LAX1) function is required for the generation of AM throughout the plant's lifespan. Here, we show a close relationship between AM initiation and leaf development; specifically, the plastochron 4 (P4) stage of leaf development is crucial for the proliferation of meristematic cells.

Growth and structural properties of CuAg and CoPt bimetallic nanoparticles.

Core/shell CuAg and alloyed CoPt have been synthesized using two vapor phase deposition techniques. For CuAg prepared by Thermal Evaporation (TE), the size and the morphology of the Cu cores are the key parameters to promote the formation of the core/shell arrangement. For CoPt synthesized by Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD), the growth kinetics of nanoparticles, depending on the deposition rate, the substrate nature and the temperature, controls the nanoparticle morphology.

Measurement of electric potential distributions around FEG-emitters by electron holography.

An evaluation technique for field emission guns (FEG-emitters) was established by using electron holography. For performing electron holography under an applied voltage, a specimen holder with the capabilities of three-directional motion as well as voltage application was developed. An unused Schottky emitter and a used emitter that had failed after operating for about 10,000 h were selected for this study.

Cubic crystal protein inclusions in the neodermis of the pancreatic fluke, Eurytrema pancreaticum, and Eurytrema coelomaticum.

Light microscopy of Eurytrema pancreaticum and Eurytrema coelomaticum collected from cattle in Japan, China, Thailand, and Brazil showed many cubic crystal inclusions in the neodermis (tegument) of all flukes. The crystal inclusions were histochemically positive for protein. Scanning electron microscopy showed many cubic protrusions containing cubic crystal protein inclusions on the surface of the neodermis.

A novel subunit structure of Clostridium botulinum serotype D toxin complex with three extended arms.

The botulinum neurotoxins (BoNTs) are the most potent toxins known in nature, causing the lethal disease known as botulism in humans and animals. The BoNTs act by inhibiting neurotransmitter release from cholinergic synapses. Clostridium botulinum strains produce large BoNTs toxin complexes, which include auxiliary non-toxic proteins that appear not only to protect BoNTs from the hostile environment of the digestive tract but also to assist BoNT translocation across the intestinal mucosal layer.

A role of OsGA20ox1 , encoding an isoform of gibberellin 20-oxidase, for regulation of plant stature in rice.

Gibberellin (GA) 20-oxidase (GA20ox) is a key enzyme that normally catalyzes the penultimate steps in GA biosynthesis. One of the GA20ox genes in rice (Oryza sativa L.), OsGA20ox2 ( SD1 ), is well known as the "Green Revolution gene", and loss-of function mutation in this locus causes semi-dwarfism.

Phytochrome mediates the external light signal to repress FT orthologs in photoperiodic flowering of rice.

Phytochromes confer the photoperiodic control of flowering in rice (Oryza sativa), a short-day plant. To better understand the molecular mechanisms of day-length recognition, we examined the interaction between phytochrome signals and circadian clocks in photoperiodic-flowering mutants of rice. Monitoring behaviors of circadian clocks revealed that phase setting of circadian clocks is not affected either under short-day (SD) or under long-day (LD) conditions in a phytochrome-deficient mutant that shows an early-flowering phenotype with no photoperiodic response.