Snapshot spectropolarimeter based on a six-fold separating prism operating from 360 nm to 1 µm.

We describe a new type of spectropolarimeter in which light is separated to simultaneously measure six spectra carrying polarimetric information on a 2D CMOS camera. The polarization separation along one of the camera axes was obtained using a novel prism, and the spectral dispersion along the other camera axis was obtained using an imaging spectrometer. An ideal version of the six-fold separating prism is first described, in which polarimetric separation is performed along the canonical polarization states used to define the Stokes vector, and it can be explained without any math.

Different regions and environments have critical roles on yield, main quality and industrialization of an industrial purple-fleshed sweetpotato ( L. (Lam.)) "Xuzishu8".

Purple-fleshed sweetpotato (PFSP) ( (L.) Lam), whose flesh is purple to dark purple, is a special variety type of sweetpotato, which has the characteristics of food crop, industrial crop and medicinal crop. The storage root (SR) of PFSP is rich in anthocyanins, starch, protein, soluble sugar, mineral elements, polyphenol, dietary fiber and so on, which has balanced and comprehensive nutritional value.

A CYP78As-small grain4-coat protein complex Ⅱ pathway promotes grain size in rice.

CYP78A, a cytochrome P450 subfamily that includes rice (Oryza sativa L.) BIG GRAIN2 (BG2, CYP78A13) and Arabidopsis thaliana KLUH (KLU, CYP78A5), generate an unknown mobile growth signal (referred to as a CYP78A-derived signal) that increases grain (seed) size. However, the mechanism by which the CYP78A pathway increases grain size remains elusive.

WEAK SEED DORMANCY 1, an aminotransferase protein, regulates seed dormancy in rice through the GA and ABA pathways.

Seed dormancy is a critical trait that enhances plant survival by preventing seed germination at the wrong time or under unsuitable conditions. Lack of seed dormancy in rice can lead to pre-harvest sprouting on mother plants leading to reduced yield and seed quality. Although some genes have been identified, knowledge of regulation of seed dormancy is limited.

Young Leaf White Stripe encodes a P-type PPR protein required for chloroplast development.

Pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) proteins function in post-transcriptional regulation of organellar gene expression. Although several PPR proteins are known to function in chloroplast development in rice (Oryza sativa), the detailed molecular functions of many PPR proteins remain unclear. Here, we characterized a rice young leaf white stripe (ylws) mutant, which has defective chloroplast development during early seedling growth.

Comparative Transcriptome Profiling Reveals the Genes Involved in Storage Root Expansion in Sweetpotato ( (L.) Lam.).

Sweetpotato ( (L.) Lam.) is recognized as one of the most important root crops in the world by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Decreased grain size1, a C3HC4-type RING protein, influences grain size in rice (Oryza sativa L.).

We reported that DGS1 plays a positive role in regulating grain size in rice and was regulated by OsBZR1. Grain size is an important agronomic trait that contributes to grain yield. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms that determine final grain size are still largely unknown.

Small grain and semi-dwarf 3, a WRKY transcription factor, negatively regulates plant height and grain size by stabilizing SLR1 expression in rice.

OsWRKY36 represses plant height and grain size by inhibiting gibberellin signaling. Plant height and grain size are important agronomic traits affecting yield in cereals, including rice. Gibberellins (GAs) are plant hormones that promote plant growth and developmental processions such as stem elongation and grain size.

WSL9 Encodes an HNH Endonuclease Domain-Containing Protein that Is Essential for Early Chloroplast Development in Rice.

Background: The plant chloroplast is essential for photosynthesis and other cellular processes, but an understanding of the biological mechanisms of plant chloroplast development are incomplete.

Results: A new temperature-sensitive white stripe leaf 9(wsl9) rice mutant is described. The mutant develops white stripes during early leaf development, but becomes green after the three-leaf stage under field conditions.

Characterization of Angle Accuracy and Precision of 3-Degree-of-Freedom Absolute Encoder Based on NanoGPS OxyO Technology.

An absolute encoder based on vision system nanoGPS OxyO was developed by HORIBA France. This encoder provides three types of position information, namely, two inplane co-ordinates and inplane angular orientation. This paper focuses on the characterization of its angular performance.

WRKY Transcription Factor Represses Seed Dormancy in Rice by Weakening Abscisic Acid Response.

For efficient plant reproduction, seed dormancy delays seed germination until the environment is suitable for the next generation growth and development. The phytohormone abscisic acid (ABA) plays important role in the induction and maintenance of seed dormancy. Previous studies have identified that WRKY transcription factors can regulate ABA signaling pathway.

Rice OsBT1 regulates seed dormancy through the glycometabolism pathway.

Seed dormancy and germination in rice (Oryza sativa L.) are complex and important agronomic traits that involve a number of physiological processes and energy. A mutant named h470 selected from aCo-radiated indica cultivar N22 population had weakened dormancy that was insensitive to Gibberellin (GA) and Abscisic acid (ABA).

WSL5, a pentatricopeptide repeat protein, is essential for chloroplast biogenesis in rice under cold stress.

Chloroplasts play an essential role in plant growth and development, and cold conditions affect chloroplast development. Although many genes or regulators involved in chloroplast biogenesis and development have been isolated and characterized, many other components affecting chloroplast biogenesis under cold conditions have not been characterized. Here, we report the functional characterization of a white stripe leaf 5 (wsl5) mutant in rice.

Single YVO4:Eu nanoparticle emission spectra using direct Eu3+ ion excitation with a sum-frequency 465-nm solid-state laser.

We report emission spectrum measurements on single YxEu(1-x)VO4 nanoparticles. The inhomogeneous widths of the emission peaks are identical for single nanoparticles and for ensembles of nanoparticles, while being broader than those of the bulk material. This indicates that individual nanoparticles are identical in terms of the distribution of different local Eu3+ sites due to crystalline defects and confirms their usability as identical, single-particle oxidant biosensors.

Targeted next-generation sequencing on Hirschsprung disease: a pilot study exploits DNA pooling.

To adopt an efficient approach of identifying rare variants possibly related to Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), a pilot study was set up to evaluate the performance of a newly designed protocol for next generation targeted resquencing. In total, 20 Chinese HSCR patients and 20 Chinese sex-matched individuals with no HSCR were included, for which coding sequences (CDS) of 62 genes known to be in signaling pathways relevant to enteric nervous system development were selected for capture and sequencing. Blood DNAs from eight pools of five cases or controls were enriched by PCR-based RainDance technology (RDT) and then sequenced on a 454 FLX platform.

Regulation of the ROS response dynamics and organization to PDGF motile stimuli revealed by single nanoparticle imaging.

Although reactive oxygen species (ROS) are better known for their harmful effects, more recently, H2O2, one of the ROS, was also found to act as a secondary messenger. However, details of spatiotemporal organization of specific signaling pathways that H2O2 is involved in are currently missing. Here, we use single nanoparticle imaging to measure the local H2O2 concentration and reveal regulation of the ROS response dynamics and organization to platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling.

Screening of the RET gene of Vietnamese Hirschsprung patients identifies 2 novel missense mutations.

Background/purpose: Hirschsprung disease (HSCR; megacolon, congenital aganglionosis) is a congenital disorder characterized by the absence of ganglion cells along variable segments of the gut. Both rare (RV) and common variants of the RET gene are associated with HSCR. The aim of this study is to assess, for the first time, the variation in the RET gene of Vietnamese HSCR patients.

Single europium-doped nanoparticles measure temporal pattern of reactive oxygen species production inside cells.

Low concentrations of reactive oxygen species, notably hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)), mediate various signalling processes in the cell. Production of these signals is highly regulated and a suitable probe is needed to measure these events. Here, we show that a probe based on a single nanoparticle can quantitatively measure transient H(2)O(2) generation in living cells.