Low temperature or cold stress is one of the major constraints of rice production and productivity in temperate rice-growing countries and high-altitude areas in the tropics. Even though low temperature affects the rice plant in all stages of growth, the percent seed set is damaged severely by cold and this reduces the yield potential of cultivars significantly. In this study, a new source of cold-tolerant line, IR66160-121-4-4-2, was used as a donor parent with a cold-sensitive cultivar, Geumobyeo, to produce 153 F(8) recombinant inbred lines (RILs) for quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis. QTL analysis with 175 polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers and composite interval mapping identified three main-effect QTLs (qPSST-3, qPSST-7, and qPSST-9) on chromosomes 3, 7, and 9. The SSR markers RM569, RM1377, and RM24545 were linked to the identified QTLs for cold tolerance with respect to percent seed set using cold-water (18-19 degrees C) irrigation in the field and controlled air temperature (17 degrees C) in the greenhouse. The total phenotypic variation for cold tolerance contributed by the three QTLs was 27.4%. RILs with high percent seed set under cold stress were validated with linked DNA markers and by haplotype analysis that revealed the contribution of progenitor genomes from the tropical japonica cultivar Jimbrug (Javanica) and temperate japonica cultivar Shen-Nung89-366. Three QTLs contributed by the cold-tolerant parent were identified which showed additive effect on percent seed set under cold treatment. This study demonstrated the utility of a new phenotyping method as well as the identification of SSR markers associated with QTLs for selection of cold-tolerant genotypes to improve temperate rice production.

We strongly support Guryanov’s speculation—that a thinner wetting layer is expected with quantum dots (QDs) grown by migration-enhanced epitaxy—with structural and optical measurements. InAs QDs grown by migration-enhanced molecular-beam epitaxy showed a larger size, lower density, ∼40% enhanced uniformity, ∼2 times larger aspect ratio, and a measurement temperature insensitivity of the photoluminescence linewidth compared to QDs grown by conventional molecular-beam epitaxy. The thickness of the wetting layer for the migration-enhanced epitaxial InAs QD (2.1nm) was thinner than that of the counterpart (4.0nm).

Self-assembled InAs/GaAs quantum dots (QDs) were grown by the atomic layer epitaxy technique and the structure and the thermal stability of QDs have been studied by using high resolution electron microscopy with in-situ heating experiment capability. The QDs were found to form a hemispherical structure with {136} side facet in the early stage of growth. The average height and diameter of the QD were found to be ~ 5.5 nm and ~ 23 nm, respectively. Upon capping by GaAs layer, however, the apex structure of QD changed to a flat one. In-situ heating experiment within TEM revealed that the uncapped QD remained stable until 580 o C. However, at temperature above 600 o C, the QD structure became flat due to the fast decrease of QD height. After flattening, the atoms diffused from the InAs QD to the GaAs substrate, resulting in the total collapse. The density of the QD decreased abruptly by this collapse and most QDs disappeared at above 600 o C.