QTL analysis for some quantitative traits in bread wheat

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis was conducted in bread wheat for 14 important traits utilizing data from four different mapping populations involving different approaches of QTL analysis. Analysis for grain protein content (GPC) sug- gested that the major part of genetic variation for this trait is due to environmental interactions. In contrast, pre-harvest sprouting tolerance (PHST) was controlled mainly by main effect QTL (M-QTL) with very little genetic variation due to environmental interactions; a major QTL for PHST was detected on chromosome arm 3AL. For grain weight, one QTL each was detected on chromosome arms 1AS, 2BS and 7AS. QTL for 4 growth related traits taken together detected by different methods ranged from 37 to 40; nine QTL that were detected by single-locus as well as two-locus analyses were all M-QTL. Similarly, single-locus and two-locus QTL analyses for seven yield and yield contributing traits in two populations respectively allowed detection of 25 and 50 QTL by composite interval mapping (CIM), 16 and 25 QTL by multiple-trait composite interval mapping (MCIM) and 38 and 37 QTL by two-locus analyses. These studies should prove useful in QTL cloning and wheat improvement through marker aided selection.     

Evaluation of orthotopic liver transplantation with no veno-venous bypass

Objective: To assess the feasibility and outcome of orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) with no veno-venous bypass(v-v bypass) in adult patients. Methods: Between 1999 and 2001, 43 adult patients underwent OLT with v-v bypass, 33 with no v-v bypass. The operation time, anhepatic time, amount of blood loss, amount of blood transfusion, ICU stay days of the two groups were compared; renal function and gastrointestinal function in the two groups were examined. Results: There was no significant difference in mean serum creatinine on day 3 and gas discharge time in patients with v-v bypass or not. With no v-v bypass, the average operation time was 5.7±1.3 hours, anhepatic time was 64±13 minutes, median amount of blood loss in operation was 4000±820 mL, median amount of blood transfused intraoperatively was 4650±910 mL, median ICU stay was 5.7 days; all those were lower or shorter than those with v-v bypass; and these differences between the two groups had statistical significances. Conclusion: OLT with no v-v bypass is safe and can be performed in the majority of adult patients. The practice of liver transplantation with no v-v bypass is associated with shorter total operation time, shorter anhepatic time, lower blood product usage, and shorter ICU stay compared with standard technique of OLT with routine use of v-v bypass. Project supported by Zhejiang Provincial Health Bureau (No.2000/ZD003)     

Scaffolding reflection and articulation of scientific explanations in a data-rich,project-based learning environment: An investigation of progress portfolio

In this study, we examined how learners developed scientific explanations about light with the assistance of various technology-based scaffolds. The study emphasis was on scaffolding processes of reflection and articulation. We used a content-neutral software program (Progress Portfolio) to create the instructional scaffolds. A qualitative research design was used to investigate two pairs of prospective teachers in a science content course in engineering. Our findings suggested that the computer-based scaffolds used in our study were useful to support articulation, reflection, and revision of explanations, when certain conditions were met. A major theme of our findings relates to interacting effects among learner characteristics, teacher coaching, software scaffolding design, and task characteristics. This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under NSF REC 9980055, which was granted to the second author. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. The authors would like to acknowledge Joe Taylor for his role in the design and implementation of the study.     

Positive environments in youth football

Derived from Basic Psychological Needs Theory (BPNT) is the notion that the social environment may promote athletes’ basic psychological needs, which are considered important for positive development and optimal motivational functioning. The present study investigated the predictive value of perceived justice and coach feedback on basic needs satisfaction in the context of youth football. Participants were Norwegian youth football players (N?=?532) participating in a national tournament. During the initial stage of the tournament, players completed the Coaching Feedback Questionnaire, Perceived Justice in Sport Questionnaire and Basic Psychological Needs in Exercise Scale under supervision. Regression analysis showed that perceived justice and positive/instructive coaching feedback positively predicted players’ needs satisfaction, while negative feedback and non-reinforcement/ignoring mistakes were not significant predictors of needs satisfaction. Together, perceptions of justice and coach feedback explained 24% of the variance in athletes’ needs satisfaction. The findings thereby indicate that athletes’ perceptions of fairness and coach feedback are important in understanding youth athletes’ needs satisfaction.     

Vocabulary does not complicate the simple view of reading

Gough and Tunmer’s (1986) simple view of reading (SVR) proposed that reading comprehension (RC) is a function of language comprehension (LC) and word recognition/decoding. Braze et al. (2007) presented data suggesting an extension of the SVR in which knowledge of vocabulary (V) affected RC over and above the effects of LC. Tunmer and Chapman (2012) found a similar independent contribution of V to RC when the data were analyzed by hierarchical regression. However, additional analysis by factor analysis and structural equation modeling indicated that the effect of V on RC was, in fact, completely captured by LC itself and there was no need to posit a separate direct effect of V on RC. In the present study, we present new data from young adults with sub-optimal reading skill (N = 286). Latent variable and regression analyses support Gough and Tunmer’s original proposal and the conclusions of Tunmer and Chapman that V can be considered a component of LC and not an independent contributor to RC.     

Influence of deep sea environment on the performance of a LiFePO<Subscript>4</Subscript> polymer battery

A lithium-ion polymer battery cell is an ideal energy source for underwater vehicles due to its high energy density and small volume. However, the performance of lithium-ion batteries in a 10 000 m deep sea is still unknown and is of particular concern in the design of 10 000 m autonomous remote vehicles (ARVs). In this paper, we explore how the external characterizing parameters of a LiFePO₄ polymer battery during discharge are affected by a high pressure of 100 MPa and low temperature of 3 °C for simulating the conditions experienced in a 10 000 m deep sea environment. An unscented Kalman filter (UKF) algorithm is applied to estimate the state of charge (SoC) of a battery to investigate the influence of high hydrostatic pressure on SoC estimation due to changes in parameters. The results indicate that the LiFePO4 polymer battery works under 100 MPa hydrostatic pressure, but its parameters change obviously and influence SoC estimation. SoC estimation accuracy was improved through compensating the functions of open circuit voltage (OCV) versus the state of charge (OCV-SoC) of the battery in a 100 MPa hydrostatic pressure and a low temperature environment.     

优化问题的新步长法则

The step-size procedure is very important for solving optimization problems. The Armijo step-size rule, the Armijo-Goldstein step-size rule and the Wolfe-Powell step-size rule are three well-known line search methods. On the basis of the above three types of line search methods and the idea of the proximal point methods, a new class of step-size rules was proposed. Instead of a single objective function f, f ＋1/2（x - xk）^TBk（x-Xk） was used as the merit function in iteration k, where Sk is a given symmetric positive definite matrix. The existence of the steplength for the new rules was proved. Some convergence properties were also discussed.