Southwest University

About: Southwest University is a education organization based out in Chongqing, China. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Gene & Population. The organization has 29772 authors who have published 27755 publications receiving 409441 citations. The organization is also known as: Southwest University in Chongqing & SWU.

Energy Minimization in Internet-of-Things System Based on Rotary-Wing UAV

Abstract: In this letter, we study unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) enabled Internet-of-Things (IoT) system, where a rotary-wing UAV is employed to collect data from a set of IoT devices. By introducing the propulsion energy model for rotary-wing UAV, we aim to minimize the maximum energy consumption among all devices, while satisfying the UAV energy budget. The problem is formulated with a non-convex programming by jointly optimizing the communication scheduling and transmit power allocation for devices as well as the UAV trajectory. An efficient solution is proposed by applying the alternating optimization and successive convex approximation techniques. Simulation results show that the proposed solution can achieve significant gains over benchmark schemes for data collection over IoT system.

Assembling Hollow Cobalt Sulfide Nanocages Array on Graphene-like Manganese Dioxide Nanosheets for Superior Electrochemical Capacitors.

Abstract: Metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived hollow cobalt sulfides have attracted extensive attention due to their porous shell that provides rich redox reactions for energy storage. However, their ultradispersed structure and the large size of MOF precursors result in relatively low conductivity, stability, and tap density. Therefore, the construction of an array of continuous hollow cages and tailoring of the inner cavity of MOF-derived materials is very effective for enhancing the electrochemical performance. Herein, we in situ assembled small Co-based zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-67) on the both sides of negatively charged MnO2 nanosheets to fabricate a hierarchical sandwich-type composite with hollow cobalt sulfide nanocages/graphene-like MnO2. The graphene-like MnO2 nanosheets acted not only as a structure-directing agent to grow a ZIF-67 array but also as a promising electroactive material of electrochemical capacitors to provide capacitance. As an electrode material of supercapacitors, the as-pre...

A high-density SNP map for accurate mapping of seed fibre QTL in Brassica napus L.

Abstract: A high density genetic linkage map for the complex allotetraploid crop species Brassica napus (oilseed rape) was constructed in a late-generation recombinant inbred line (RIL) population, using genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers assayed by the Brassica 60 K Infinium BeadChip Array. The linkage map contains 9164 SNP markers covering 1832.9 cM. 1232 bins account for 7648 of the markers. A subset of 2795 SNP markers, with an average distance of 0.66 cM between adjacent markers, was applied for QTL mapping of seed colour and the cell wall fiber components acid detergent lignin (ADL), cellulose and hemicellulose. After phenotypic analyses across four different environments a total of 11 QTL were detected for seed colour and fiber traits. The high-density map considerably improved QTL resolution compared to the previous low-density maps. A previously identified major QTL with very high effects on seed colour and ADL was pinpointed to a narrow genome interval on chromosome A09, while a minor QTL explaining 8.1% to 14.1% of variation for ADL was detected on chromosome C05. Five and three QTL accounting for 4.7% to 21.9% and 7.3% to 16.9% of the phenotypic variation for cellulose and hemicellulose, respectively, were also detected. To our knowledge this is the first description of QTL for seed cellulose and hemicellulose in B. napus, representing interesting new targets for improving oil content. The high density SNP genetic map enables navigation from interesting B. napus QTL to Brassica genome sequences, giving useful new information for understanding the genetics of key seed quality traits in rapeseed.

MicroRNAs of Bombyx mori identified by Solexa sequencing.

Abstract: MicroRNA (miRNA) and other small regulatory RNAs contribute to the modulation of a large number of cellular processes. We sequenced three small RNA libraries prepared from the whole body, and the anterior-middle and posterior silk glands of Bombyx mori, with a view to expanding the repertoire of silkworm miRNAs and exploring transcriptional differences in miRNAs between segments of the silk gland. With the aid of large-scale Solexa sequencing technology, we validated 257 unique miRNA genes, including 202 novel and 55 previously reported genes, corresponding to 324 loci in the silkworm genome. Over 30 known silkworm miRNAs were further corrected in their sequence constitutes and length. A number of reads originated from the loop regions of the precursors of two previously reported miRNAs (bmo-miR-1920 and miR-1921). Interestingly, the majority of the newly identified miRNAs were silkworm-specific, 23 unique miRNAs were widely conserved from invertebrates to vertebrates, 13 unique miRNAs were limited to invertebrates, and 32 were confined to insects. We identified 24 closely positioned clusters and 45 paralogs of miRNAs in the silkworm genome. However, sequence tags showed that paralogs or clusters were not prerequisites for coordinated transcription and accumulation. The majority of silkworm-specific miRNAs were located in transposable elements, and displayed significant differences in abundance between the anterior-middle and posterior silk gland. Conservative analysis revealed that miRNAs can serve as phylogenetic markers and function in evolutionary signaling. The newly identified miRNAs greatly enrich the repertoire of insect miRNAs, and provide insights into miRNA evolution, biogenesis, and expression in insects. The differential expression of miRNAs in the anterior-middle and posterior silk glands supports their involvement as new levels in the regulation of the silkworm silk gland.

Comammox Nitrospira clade B contributes to nitrification in soil

Abstract: Comammox, one nitrifying microorganism carries out the complete oxidation of ammonia to nitrate, have been recently discovered, and are found in a wide range of environments, including soil. However, conditions under which they actually contribute to nitrification in soil have not yet been demonstrated. By 13CO2-based DNA stable isotope probing with real-time quantitative PCR and gene sequence, we reported two uncultured strains, which are closely related to comammox Nitrospira clade B, autotrophically grew in both forest and paddy soils only in the absence of ammonium amendment. Furthermore, all clade B amoA sequences amplified from isotopically enriched genomic DNA in both soils were derived from one or two phylotypes, indicating a low diversity of active comammox strains in soils.