A quantitative, reproducible, and efficient phytic acid assay procedure is needed to screen breeding populations and support genetic studies in soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The objective of this study was to modify the colorimetric Wade reagent method and compare the accuracy and applicability of this new method in determining seed phytic acid content in soybean with three well‐established phytic acid assay methods: anion exchange column (AEC), high‐performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The CV for repeated measurements of a low phytic acid soybean mutant, CX1834‐1‐6, ranged from 1.8 to 4.2% (n = 5), indicating the results were precise and reproducible. Phytic acid content of 42 soybean genotypes as determined by this method showed a correlation of 93.7 to 96.6% with the measurements by AEC, HPLC, and NMR. According to analysis of covariance, using inorganic P content as a predictor, phytic acid P content in a given sample analyzed by the four assay methods can be estimated with four linear regression models at the α = 0.01 level. Compared with HPLC, AEC, and 31P NMR, this modified colorimetric method is simpler and less expensive for assaying a large number of samples, allowing its effective application in breeding and genetic studies of low phytic acid soybean.

In rural West China, the risk of premature death is nearly 5 times higher in people with convulsive epilepsy than in the general Chinese population and especially high among young people. Accidental death, including drowning, and probable SUDEP are the leading putative causes of death in people with convulsive epilepsy in rural West China.

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Barcoding technologies have become the basis for a new generation of molecular diagnostic platforms for measuring biomarkers in a high-throughput, rapid, and sensitive manner. Thus far, researchers have mainly focused on preparing different types of barcodes but, in order to use them optimally in genomic- and proteomic-based applications, there is a need to understand the effect of barcode and assay parameters on their performance. Herein, quantum-dot barcodes are systematically characterized for the detection of non-amplified DNA sequences. The effect of capture probes, reporter probes, and target DNA sequence lengths are studied, as well as the effect of the amount of noncomplementary sequences on the hybridization kinetics and efficiency. From DNA denaturation to signal detection, quantum-dot-barcode assays require less than one hour to detect a target DNA sequence with a linear dynamic range of 0.02-100 fmol. Three optically distinct quantum-dot barcodes are used to demonstrate the multiplexing capability of these barcodes for genomic detection. These results suggest that quantum-dot barcodes are an excellent platform for multiplex, rapid, and sensitive genetic detection.