BACKGROUND Grain yield is a key economic driver of successful wheat production. Due to its complex nature, little is known regarding its genetic control. The goal of this study was to identify important quantitative trait loci (QTL) directly and indirectly affecting grain yield using doubled haploid lines derived from a cross between Hanxuan 10 and Lumai 14. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Ten...

We determine the primordial helium mass fraction Yp using 93 spectra of 86 low-metallicity extragalactic H ii regions. This sample constitutes the largest and most homogeneous high-quality data sets in existence for the determination of Yp. For comparison and to improve the statistics in our investigation of systematic effects affecting the Yp determination, we have also considered a sample of ...

BACKGROUND Several guidelines state that postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) confers survival benefits to patients with lymph node-positive colorectal cancer. However, older patients are usually not administered AC due to the higher risk of side effects. The aim of this study was to evaluate the benefit of AC for elderly patients (EP) and examine its tolerability. METHODS Data from 204 p...

In normal human cells treated with interferons (IFNs), the concentration of tyrosine-phosphorylated STAT1 (YP-STAT1), which drives the expression of a large number of genes, increases quickly but then decreases over a period of several hours. Because the STAT1 gene is activated by YP-STAT1, IFNs stimulate a large increase in the concentration of unphosphorylated STAT1 (U-STAT1) that persists fo...

AIMS To evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of the BioFire Diagnostics FilmArray(®) system in combination with their Biothreat Panel for the detection of Bacillus anthracis (Ba), Francisella tularensis (Ft) and Yersinia pestis (Yp) DNA, and demonstrate the detection of Ba spores. METHODS AND RESULTS DNA samples from Ba, Ft and Yp strains and near-neighbours, and live Ba spores were analy...

The ubiquitous lakes across China’s Yangtze Plain (YP) are indispensable freshwater resources sustaining ecosystems and socioeconomics for nearly half a billion people. Our recent survey revealed a widespread net decline in the total YP lake inundation area during 2000–2011 (a cumulative decrease of 10%), yet its mechanism remained contentious. Here we uncover the impacts of climate variability...

We evaluated changes of different soil nitrogen forms (total N, available ammonium and nitrate, total N in microbial biomass, and soil N mineralization) after conversion of semideciduous dry tropical forest in 5- and 18-year-old pastures (YP and OP, resp.) in the western Llanos of Venezuela. This evaluation was made at early rainy season, at end rainy season, and during dry season. With few exc...

drought is the most significant constraint for crop production in arid and semi-arid regions. in order to assess drought tolerance in fifteen rapeseed (brassica napus) cultivars using yield-based drought tolerance indices, two experiments were conducted at the research station of college of agriculture, shiraz university, shiraz, iran during 2009-2010 growing season. the cultivars were arranged...