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A hybrid gate approach, including a two-step gate recess and a sputtered HfO2 layer, is employed to fabricate HfO2|AlGaN|GaN normally-Off high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Ni|Au and Pt are used as gate metals in the studied metal–oxide–semiconductor (MOS)-type devices. The two-step gate recess approach can effectively deplete the two-dimensional electron gas density in the channel. The studied MOS-type structure demonstrates a lower gate leakage and significantly positive gate threshold voltage. Attributed to the high work function of Pt metal, the device with Pt gate metal exhibits excellent thermal stability, including gate leakage, high saturation current, transconductance, On/Off current ratio, and threshold voltage, measured from 300 to 500 K, as compared with the device with Ni|Au gate metal. Furthermore, the studied devices show superior behaviors as compared with other devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three groups of genes, Vrn, Ppd and Eps, control life-cycle duration in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). The duration of a developmental phase between two stages is important for freezing resistance, heading time, anthesis and ripening date as well as yield component generation. The aim of the current study was to assess the effect of Vrn-D1 on wheat development. The vernalization genes Vrn-A1, -B1, -D1, -B3, photoperiod gene Ppd-1 and candidate genes Mot1 and FtsH4 for Eps in ‘G883’, ‘Pumai 9’ and their offspring, a group of sister lines (SLs) derived from an advanced generation, were genotyped using specific molecular markers. All detected loci were the same in the SLs and their parents except the Vrn-D1 locus. Three developmental traits, spike differentiation process, heading date and final leaf number on the main stem, were characterized in three sowing date treatments in the field. When temperatures increased, cultivars/lines carrying the dominant Vrn-D1 gene entered each spike differentiation process faster than those with the recessive vrn-D1 in the same sowing date treatment. Lines carrying Vrn-D1 had smaller final leaf number on the main stem than those with vrn-D1, and the heading dates of the former were earlier than those of the latter, especially in the fourth treatment, sown on 23 February 2012. These data suggest that Vrn-D1 confers a spring habit on wheat and the vrn-D1 confers a cold, hardy winter habit. The Vrn-D1 alleles play very important roles in semi-winter and tender spring wheat cultivars, especially in warm weather in Henan, China. Regulating developmental traits by tracing Vrn-D1 and getting an ideal combination of Vrn alleles to accommodate different wheat zones is a key role for future wheat molecular breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A field experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of powdery mildew (Blumeria graminis f. sp. Tritici, Bgt) on wheat grain at varying levels of disease severity and at different growth stages. Methods used to determine these effects included Kjeldahl determination, unidimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, dielectrophoresis combined with mass spectrometric analysis. The specific influences explored were those on prolamins and protein composition at the molecular level. Concentrations of both grain protein and prolamin in wheat increased as disease indices (DIs) of powdery mildew rose from 20 days after anthesis (DAA) to maturity. Globulin concentrations changed dynamically and significantly, especially at 25 DAA when DI was the highest. This was verified by proteomic analysis which showed globulins (such as globulin 3, globulin 3B, globulin 3C, gliadin/avenin-like protein and triticin) being up-regulated significantly under powdery mildew stress. It was proposed that powdery mildew might indirectly affect protein accumulation in grain by influencing the regulative enzymes (including peptidylprolyl isomerase, cyclophilin A-2 and GTPase ObgE) and metabolic processes. It was speculated that the indirect increase caused by yield reduction was not the only factor causing the increase in prolamin concentration. Another factor may be the rise of expression level of molecular chaperones and enzymes relating to protein synthesis, which led to the rise in protein synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A Triticum aestivum-Haynaldia villosa 6VS/6AL translocation line contained powdery mildew resistance gene Pm21 which is effective against all the current biotypes of Erygsiphe gramins. Cloning of the related genes for powdery mildew resistance is significance for understanding its resistance mechanism and disease resistance breeding. Using RT-PCR and RACE technology, a wheat pathogenesis related protein 1 cDNA clone (TaPr-1) corresponding to a mRNA differentially induced in resistant 6VS/6AL translocation line compared to susceptible wheat cultivar "Yangmai 5" by powdery mildew infection was isolated and characterized. This sequence contained 823 bp and had an open reading frame (ORF) containing 164 amino acids with 24 amino acids in the putative signal peptide and 140 amino acids comprising the mature peptide (15.1 kD). The deduced amino acid sequence showed close homology to PR-1 like proteins, which have been isolated from many plants. Northern blot analysis revealed the most abundantly accumulation of the corresponding mRNA 12 h after infection in translocation line (6VS/6AL). The obviously difference in the expression of the PRw-1 was also observed between resistant translocation line (6VS/6AL) and susceptible parent "Yangmai 5", it showed the TaPr-1 gene is related to powdery mildew resistance. Southern blot indicated that the wheat genome contains more than one copies of TaPr-1 genes, and there are polymorphism between translocation lines and "Yanmai 5", the result shows that 6VS may contain TaPr-1 genes.