Fast genetic mapping in barley: case studies of cuticle mutants using RNA-sequencing

Barley(Hordeum vulgare L.) is one of the earliest domesticated crop species and ranked as the fourth largest cereal production worldwide. Forward genetic studies in barley have greatly advanced plant genetics during the last century; however, most genes are identified by the conventional mapping method. Array genotyping and exome-capture sequencing have also been successfully used to target the causal mutation in barley populations, but these techniques are not widely adopted because of associated costs and partly due to the huge genome size of barley. This review summarizes three mapping cases of barley cuticle mutants in our laboratory with the help of RNA-sequencing. The causal mutations have been successfully identified for two of them and the target genes are located in the pericentromeric regions. Detailed information on the mapping-by-sequencing, mapping-and-sequencing, and RNA-sequencing assisted linkage mapping are presented and some limitations and challenges on the mapping assisted by RNA sequencing are also discussed. The alternative and elegant methods presented in this review may greatly accelerate forward genetics of barley mapping, especially for laboratories without large funding.     

Discovery of 13 New Variable Stars in the Field of the Open Cluster NGC 2168 （M35）

A wide-field time-series CCD photometric survey of variable stars in the field of the open cluster NGC 2168 was carried out using the BATC Schmidt telescope. In total 13 new variable stars are discovered with three W UMa systems, one EA type and two EB type eclipsing binaries (one of them could be a W UMa system), and seven pulsating stars including three candidates of δScuti stars.     

银盘恒星运动学和化学丰度与银河系结构

大样本的银盘恒星的运动学数据和元素丰度特征是研究银河系结构及演化，尤其是银盘形成和演化的2个重要探针。本文首先介绍了银河系的总体结构特征，然后较详细的综述了以上2个探针的重要性。对我国LAMOST项目在研究银河系结构方面，尤其是银盘的形成和演化方面的能力作了合理的分析。     

Geochemical survey of thermal system in Northeast China and their geothermometric characters

The chemical composition of several thermal springs around Changbaishan area has been investigated. Cenozoic basaltic rocks are widely distributed in Northeast China and geothermal characteristics have been described. About one hundred hot springs exist around Changhaishan Volcano at the border between China and D.P.R.Korea with high temperature about 82~C. The pH values of the spring water range from 6.9 to 7.1 and the total flow rate is about 4.8 L/sec. The chemical composition of the thermal springs is sodium carbonate; the high-mineral contents of thermal water are believed to have medicinal properties. Bathhouses are already built along the hot springs to take the advantage of the supposed healing properties. The high quality of those hot springs is believed to be utilitized for mineral water. The chemical equilibrium temperatures were estimated at about 160℃ based on the Na-K-Ca geochemical thermometer.     

Cytoplasmic regionalization in starfish oocyte occurrence and localization of cytoplasmic determinants responsible for the formation of archenteron and primary mesenchyme in starfish (asterias amurensis) oocytes

Starfish oocytes with intact germinal vesicles (GVs) were cut along desired planes with glass needles or ligated using silk thread loops into two parts and allowed to mature in vitro, and inseminated. The experimental results showed that (1) only the parts with GVs or partial GV contents (PGVCs) cleaved, those without any GV materials did not; but nucleated and non-nucleated fragments cut from mature eggs were able to divide; (2) the development of animal parts of oocytes containing GVs or PGVCs was like that of animal fragments of matured oocytes with female pronuclei; most of them gave rise to permanent blastulae, and just a few formed ectodermal vesicles with a little primary mesenchyme; (3) a large part of vegetal fragments with GVs or PGVCs, and the vegetal parts of mature eggs without female pronuclei developed into small but normal embryos; (4) the fragments containing GVs or PGVCs obtained from the oocytes along a plane parallel to the animal-vegetal (A-V) axis developed as normally as the halves (with or without female pronuclei) severed from mature eggs along the same axis. Based on the data above, it was concluded that (1) the non-chromatin materials in the oocyte GVs are indispensable for successful fertilization and cleavage of starfish eggs; (2) some factor (s) located asymmetrically in the vegetal hemispheres of starfish oocytes is (are) responsible for formation of the archenteron and primary mesenchyme. It is evident from the above findings that the oocyte cytoplasm of the starfish had already regionalized before the GV break-down. Contribution No. 1722 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica     

隧道工程地质评价的内容和方法

结合工程隧道实际,首先阐述了隧道工程的基本地质环境和工程地质条件,然后针对隧道工程可能出现的不良地质现象和可采取的工程措施,从大气降水、围岩稳定、围岩压力、洞口稳定、隧道比选等角度探讨隧道工程地质评价的主要方法和一般内容,进行隧道工程地质评价,为隧道施工、支护提供了依据.     

MATLAB在运用系统建模处理南海气象数据过程中应用

介绍了MATLAB语言特点和系统建模方法的基本理论.根据南海气象数据的实际建模处理过程,给出了建模的详细步骤及其MATLAB实现过程以及MATLABTM的主要实现程序.试验讨论和结果表明利用MATLAB语言可以方便地对南海气象数据用系统建模方法进行建模和处理,MATLAB在运用系统建模法处理南海气象数据方面具有明显的优越性.     

Evolution of Electric Currents Associated with Two M-Class Flares

Using one-minute cadence vector magnetograms from Big Bear Solar Observatory (BBSO), we analyze the temporal behavior of derived longitudinal electric currents associated with two flares on July 26, 2002. One of the events is an M1.0 flare which occurred in active region NOAA 10044, while the other is an M8.7 flare in the adjacent region 10039. Rapid changes of magnetic fields in the form of flux emergence are found to be associated with both of these events. However, the temporal behavior of electric currents are very different. For the M1.0 flare, the longitudinal electric current density drops rapidly near the flaring neutral line; while for the M8.7 flare, the current density rapidly increases, confirming the picture of the current-carrying flux emergence. We offer a possible explanation for such a difference: magnetic reconnection at different heights for the two events, near the photosphere for the M1.0 flare, and higher up for the M8.7 flare.     

The formation and stability of the configuration of the planetary system HD 126611

Recent Doppler velocity measurements have revealed the existence of two planets orbiting the star HD 12661 on medium-eccentricity orbits. The inner planet has a period of 263.6 d and a mass of 2.3 Jupiter masses, and the outer planet has a period of 1444.5d and a mass of 1.57 Jupiter masses. The stability of this system requires the two planets to be in a state of mean-motion orbit resonances. By numerical method we have studied the orbit migration and stability of the system in its early ages under the action of the proto-stellar disk, and calculated the probabilities of the planets being captured into the mean -motion resonances during their migrations. It is found that at present the two planets are probably situated at the edge of the 11:2 mean-motion resonance and are in chaotic motions. This result may be helpful to clarify the arguments on the present configuration. Besides, it is indicated that very probably, after the formation of the system, the gaseous disk has almost disappeared before the planets migrated to the present configuration.     

影响鸢乌贼手钓上钩率的因子探讨

根据印度洋西北部鸢乌贼（Sym plectoteuthis oualaniensis）作业渔场的现场调查数据．分析了作业水深、作业时段、摄食等级和月相等因子对手钓上钩率的影响。统计表明．晚上、午夜和凌晨3个不同时段和不同作业水深对手钓上钩率均有显著性影响。3个时段中，其摄食等级呈先低后高再低的现象。午夜和凌展，上钩率的变化趋势与摄食等级的变化趋势呈显著的负相关。在月相的影响下．离朔日三四天之前，手钓产量呈上升趋势；离望日五六天之前。手钓产量呈明显的下降趋势。