Clonal organisms are particularly useful to investigate the contribution of epigenetics to phenotypic plasticity,because confounding effects of genetic variation are negligible.In the last decade,the apomictic parthen...Clonal organisms are particularly useful to investigate the contribution of epigenetics to phenotypic plasticity,because confounding effects of genetic variation are negligible.In the last decade,the apomictic parthenogenetic marbled crayfish,Procambarus virginalis,has been developed as a model to investigate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity and genetic and epigenetic diversity in detail.This crayfish originated about 30 years ago by autotriploidy from a single slough crayfish Procambarus fallax.As the result of human releases and active spreading,marbled crayfish has established numerous populations in very diverse habitats in 22 countries from the tropics to cold temperate regions.Studies in the laboratory and field revealed considerable plasticity in coloration,spination,morphometric parameters,growth,food preference,population structure,trophic position,and niche width.Illumina and PacBio whole-genome sequencing of marbled crayfish from representatives of 19 populations in Europe and Madagascar demonstrated extremely low genetic diversity within and among populations,indicating that the observed phenotypic diversity and ability to live in strikingly different environments are not due to adaptation by selection on genetic variation.In contrast,considerable differences were found between populations in the DNA methylation patterns of hundreds of genes,suggesting that the environmentally induced phenotypic plasticity is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms and corresponding changes in gene expression.Specific DNA methylation fingerprints persisted in local populations over successive years indicating the existence of epigenetic ecotypes,but there is presently no information as to whether these epigenetic signatures are transgenerationally inherited or established anew in each generation and whether the recorded phenotypic plasticity is adaptive or nonadaptive.展开更多
Marbling defined by the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat is regarded as an economically important trait of beef cattle in Japan. The pancreatic lipase gene (PNLIP) is located within the genomic region of a...Marbling defined by the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat is regarded as an economically important trait of beef cattle in Japan. The pancreatic lipase gene (PNLIP) is located within the genomic region of a bovine marbling quantitative trait locus. The rat homologue of PNLIP has been previously shown to be regarded as a possible candidate for the gene responsible for intramuscular fat content. These findings suggested that PNLIP was a positional and functional candidate for the marbling gene. In this study, we detected a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), g.37288470A > G, at 1917 bp upstream of the PNLIP transcription initiation site between Holstein steers and somatic nuclear-derived cloned steers from a Japanese Black sire with a very high estimated breeding value for marbling by sequencing analysis. Further, we found statistically significant difference in the allelic distribution of the SNP between 17 Japanese Black unrelated sires with extremely high predicted breeding values for marbling and 17 sires with extremely low ones (P = 0.0332). Our findings suggest that g.37288470A > G SNP in the promoter region of PNLIP might be associated with marbling by altering its gene expression, and be useful for effective marker-assisted selection to increase the levels of marbling in Japanese Black beef cattle.展开更多
Maternal care in crayfish has been extensively studied,but little is known of its response to environmental factors.We studied the duration of maternal care and its association with the juvenile development of marbled...Maternal care in crayfish has been extensively studied,but little is known of its response to environmental factors.We studied the duration of maternal care and its association with the juvenile development of marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis in adverse environmental conditions.We exposed females with developmental stage 3 juveniles to environments of low water volume(LW)with food provided,low water volume with no feed(starvation)(LWS),and low water volume without feeding plus an intruder(red swamp crayfish male)(LWSI).A control group with standard water level/feed conditions was included for comparison.Groups were monitored for up to 90 days.The LWS group showed significantly prolonged maternal care(~65 days)as indicated by an extended attachment phase,delayed moulting of mothers(~53 days),and retarded juvenile development.In the LWSI group,conflict precluded extended maternal care.Low use of shelter and feeding was evident under all stress conditions.The results showed that crayfish females modify maternal care in accordance with conditions,providing a longer period of safety for offspring under adverse circumstances.It is possible that the expression of maternal pheromones can manipulate the developmental rate in juveniles,a topic for future research.展开更多
An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimal dietary protein level for juvenile marbled flounder.Five semi-purified test diets were formulated to contain different protein levels(CP)including 42.7%,4...An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimal dietary protein level for juvenile marbled flounder.Five semi-purified test diets were formulated to contain different protein levels(CP)including 42.7%,47.4%,53.3%,58.8%,and 64.5%(dry matter),named as CP42.7,CP47.4,CP53.3,CP58.8,and CP64.5,respectively.Five hundred and twenty-five juveniles(6.0±0.1 g)were randomly distributed into 15 tanks(300 L tanks),resulting in 35 fish per tank(n-3 tanks).Fish were fed the test diets 5 times per day until satiation.The CP58.8 resulted in the highest gain in weight and the best efficiency in feed utilization among the tested protein levels(P<0.05).Fish fed the CP58.8 diet showed significantly higher whole-body protein and lipid contents than the fish that were fed the other diets(P<0.05).Fish fed the CP53.3,CP58.8,and CP64.5 diets showed a significantly higher dorsal-muscle lipid content than the fish that were fed the CP42.7 and CP47.4 diets(P<0.05).The one-slope straight broken-line regression analysis on the results of the thermal growth coefficient and feed conversion ratio indicated that the estimated optimum dietary protein level was 58.8%.Taken together,it is suggested that the dietary protein level of 58.8%is optimal for better growth and high efficiency in feed utilization for the juvenile marbled flounder.展开更多
The attenuation of the acoustic activity in marble specimens under uniaxial compressive loadingunloading loops is quantified in juxtaposition to that of the electric activity.In parallel,the existence of"pre-fail...The attenuation of the acoustic activity in marble specimens under uniaxial compressive loadingunloading loops is quantified in juxtaposition to that of the electric activity.In parallel,the existence of"pre-failure indiceso"warning about entrance into a critical stage,that of impending fracture,is explored.The acoustic activity is quantified in terms of the normalized number of acoustic hits,their average rate of production and their cumulative energy,and,the cumulative counts and their average rate of change.The electric activity is studied in terms of the pressure stimulated currents and the electric charge released.The analysis revealed that the acoustic and electric activities are linearly correlated to each other,suggesting that they are different manifestations of the same damage mechanisms.In addition,Kaiser's effect,governing the acoustic activity,is found to govern,also,the electric activity.Moreover,it is concluded that entrance into the critical stage is safely predicted by means of a simple criterion,based on the evolution of the average rate of change of the normalized cumulative counts in the natural time domain.These predictions are almost identical with those of the criterion based on the "varianceo" and the "entropies" of the time series of acoustic events in this domain.展开更多
BACKGROUND Renal tubular acidosis(RTA)refers to a group of kidney disorders characterized by defective acid excretion or bicarbonate reabsorption,leading to metabolic acidosis.This case series presents three cases of ...BACKGROUND Renal tubular acidosis(RTA)refers to a group of kidney disorders characterized by defective acid excretion or bicarbonate reabsorption,leading to metabolic acidosis.This case series presents three cases of RTA with distinct etiologies and clinical manifestations.These cases emphasize the necessity of a comprehensive evaluation of RTA,considering both renal and systemic origins.CASE SUMMARY The first case describes a female patient with osteopetrosis-related RTA,diagnosed with Guibaud-Vainsel syndrome,emphasizing the importance of genetic assessment.The second case delineates RTA secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis,associating tubular dysfunction with glomerular pathology.In the first two cases whole exome sequencing confirmed genetic diagnosis.The third case illuminates RTA as a complication of Graves’disease,highlighting autoimmune implications.CONCLUSION These cases underscore the interdisciplinary approach essential in RTA management.Understanding the diverse pathophysiology of RTA aids in tailored therapeutic strategies and improved patient outcomes.展开更多
In order to decipher element mobility in UHP meta-sedimentary rocks in the continental subduction zone,major and trace element compositions are investigated for a continuous profile from a representative UHP region in...In order to decipher element mobility in UHP meta-sedimentary rocks in the continental subduction zone,major and trace element compositions are investigated for a continuous profile from a representative UHP region in the Dabie Mountains.Among the lithologic contact zone,contents of K,Ca,LREE,and LILE exhibit varying degrees of downward trends in both marble and eclogite toward the contact zone,indicating that marble and their associated eclogite can release a large amount of K,Ca,and a small number of LILEs and LREEs.Titanite is the main Ti phase in both marble and eclogite.Titanite rims around rutile can occasionally be seen in eclogite.Contents of Ti and HFSE exhibit a well-coupled relation among marble and eclogite,indicating that substantial Ti and HFSEs were migrated from eclogite to marble,in accord with the capacity of a melt medium.Rutiles and titanites in marble exhibit a relatively limited variation in Nb/Ta ratios(12.9-16.2),similar to those of titanites in eclogite(14.2-16.7),which demonstrates that rutiles and titanites in marble were sourced from eclogite because of short-distance migrations of Ti and HFSEs.According to the P-T path and the temperature and pressure conditions of the peak metamorphism reported by previous studies,the eclogite associated with marble may not form supercritical fluids in the subduction zone because of the addition of carbonate minerals.展开更多
The initial micro-cracks affect the evolution characteristics of macroscopic deformation and failure of rock but are often ignored in theoretical calculation,numerical simulation,and mechanical experiments.In this stu...The initial micro-cracks affect the evolution characteristics of macroscopic deformation and failure of rock but are often ignored in theoretical calculation,numerical simulation,and mechanical experiments.In this study,we propose a quantitative analysis model to investigate the effects of initial micro-cracks on the evolution of marble deformation and failure.The relationship between the micro-crack propagation and the marble failure characteristics was comprehensively studied by combining theoretical analysis with a micro-computed tomography(micro-CT)scanning technique.We found that with the increase of confining pressure,the matrix elastic modulus of the marble first increased and then tended to be stable,while the micro-cracks increased exponentially.The sensitivity ranges of the marble sample matrix elastic modulus and micro-cracks to confining pressure were 0–30 MPa and 30–50 MPa,respectively.The porosity and Poisson’s ratio decreased exponentially.The increasing proportion of internal micro-cracks led to an increase in the sample non-uniformity.The samples presented mainly shear failure under triaxial compression,and the failure angle decreased linearly with the increase of confining pressure.The convergence direction of cracks decreased gradually.This quantitative analysis model could accurately portray the relationship between the overall macroscopic deformation and the deviatoric stress of the samples at the compaction and the linear elastic stages,thus deepening the understanding of the stress–strain behavior of rocks.展开更多
Dilatancy is a fundamental volumetric growth behavior observed during loading and serves as a key index to comprehending the intricate nonlinear behavior and constitutive equation structure of rock.This study focuses ...Dilatancy is a fundamental volumetric growth behavior observed during loading and serves as a key index to comprehending the intricate nonlinear behavior and constitutive equation structure of rock.This study focuses on Jinping marble obtained from the Jinping Underground Laboratory in China at a depth of 2400 m.Various uniaxial and triaxial tests at different strain rates,along with constant confining pressure tests and reduced confining pressure tests under different confining pressures were conducted to analyze the mechanical response and dilatancy characteristics of the marble under four stress paths.Subsequently,a new empirical dilatancy coefficient is proposed based on the energy dissipation method.The results show that brittle failure characteristics of marble under uniaxial compression are more obvious with the strain rate increasing,and plastic failure characteristics of marble under triaxial compression are gradually strengthened.Furthermore,compared to the constant confining pressure,the volume expansion is relatively lower under unloading condition.The energy dissipation is closely linked to the process of dilatancy,with a rapid increase of dissipated energy coinciding with the beginning of dilatancy.A new empirical dilatancy coefficient is defined according to the change trend of energy dissipation rate curve,of which change trend is consistent with the actual dilatancy response in marble under different stress paths.The existing empirical and theoretical dilatancy models are analyzed,which shows that the empirical dilatancy coefficient based on the energy background is more universal.展开更多
Sebastiscus marmoratus is an important sedentary ovoviparous fish distributed in near-shore coastal waters from the coast of China to Japan. Candidate S. marmoratus microsatellite markers were developed in the present...Sebastiscus marmoratus is an important sedentary ovoviparous fish distributed in near-shore coastal waters from the coast of China to Japan. Candidate S. marmoratus microsatellite markers were developed in the present study using 454 pyrosequencing, and the marker profile was analyzed. A total of 2 000 000 raw sequence reads were assembled to reduce redundancy. Among them, 1 043 dinucleotide, 925 trinucleotide, 692 tetranucleotide, and 315 pentanucleotide repeats were detected. AC repeats were the most frequent motifs among the dinucleotide repeats, and AAT was the most abundant among the trinucleotide repeats. AAAT, ATAG, and ATCC were the three most common tetranucleotide motifs, and AAGAT and AATAT were the most dominant pentanucleotide motifs. The greatest numbers of loci and potentially amplifiable loci were found in dinucleotide repeats, whereas trinucleotide repeats had the fewest. In summary, a wide range of candidate microsatellite markers were identified in the present study using a rapid and efficient 454 pyrosequencing approach.展开更多
Background: Marbling, or intramuscular fat, is an important factor contributing to the palatability of beef. Vitamin A, through its active metabolite, retinoic acid, promotes the formation of new fat cells(adipogenesi...Background: Marbling, or intramuscular fat, is an important factor contributing to the palatability of beef. Vitamin A, through its active metabolite, retinoic acid, promotes the formation of new fat cells(adipogenesis). As intramuscular adipogenesis is active during the neonatal stage, we hypothesized that vitamin A administration during the neonatal stage would enhance intramuscular adipogenesis and marbling.Methods: Angus steer calves(n = 30), in a completely randomized design, were randomly allotted to three treatment groups at birth, receiving 0, 150,000, or 300,000 IU of vitamin A at both birth and one month of age.A biopsy of the biceps femoris muscle was collected at two months of age. After weaning at 210 d of age, steers were fed a backgrounding diet in a feedlot until 308 d of age, when they were transitioned to a high concentrate finishing diet and implanted with trenbolone/estradiol/tylosin mixture. Steers were harvested at an average of 438 d of age. All diets were formulated to meet nutrient requirements.Results: Weaning weight and weight during the backgrounding phase were linearly increased(P < 0.05) by vitamin A level, though no difference in body weight was observed at harvest. Intramuscular fat of steers at 308 d of age, measured by ultrasound, quadratically increased(P < 0.05) with vitamin A level from 4.0±0.26 % to 4.9±0.26 %.Similarly, carcass marbling score in the ribeye quadratically increased(P < 0.05).Conclusion: Administration of vitamin A at birth increased weaning weight and enhanced marbling fat development.Thus, vitamin A administration provides a practical method for increasing marbling and early growth of beef cattle.展开更多
Strainburst is one type of rockburst that generally occurs in deep tunnel.In this study,the strainburst behaviors of marble specimens were investigated under tunnel-excavation-induced stress condition,and two stress p...Strainburst is one type of rockburst that generally occurs in deep tunnel.In this study,the strainburst behaviors of marble specimens were investigated under tunnel-excavation-induced stress condition,and two stress paths were designed,a commonly used stress path in true triaxial unloading rockburst tests and a new test path in which the intermediate principal stress was varied.During the tests,a high-speed camera was used to record the strainburst process,and an acoustic emission(AE)monitoring system was used to monitor the AE characteristics of failure.In these two stress paths,all the marble specimens exhibited strainbursts;however,when the intermediate principal stress was varied,the rockburst became more violent.The obtained results indicate that the intermediate principal stress has a significant effect on rockburst behavior of marble.Under a higher intermediate principal stress before the unloading,more elastic strain energy was accumulated in the specimen,and the cumulative AE energy was higher in the rockburst-induced failure,i.e.,more elastic strain energy was released during the failure.Therefore,more violent failure was observed:more rock fragments with a higher mass and larger size were ejected outward.展开更多
Eclogite lenses in marbles from the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure （UHP） terrane are deeply subducted meta-sedimentary rocks. Zircons in these rocks have been used to constrain the ages of prograde and UHP metamorphi...Eclogite lenses in marbles from the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure （UHP） terrane are deeply subducted meta-sedimentary rocks. Zircons in these rocks have been used to constrain the ages of prograde and UHP metamorphism during subduction, and later retrograde metamorphism during exhumation. Inherited （detrital） and metamorphic zircons were distinguished on the basis of transmitted light microscopy, cathodoluminescence （CL） imaging, trace element contents and mineral inclusions. The distribution of mineral inclusions combined with CL imaging of the metamorphic zircon make it possible to relate zircon zones （domains） to different metamorphic stages. Domain 1 consists of rounded, oblong and spindly cores with dark-luminescent images, and contains quartz eclogite facies mineral inclusion assemblages, indicating formation under high-pressure （HP） metamorphic conditions of T = 571-668℃ and P =1.7-2.02 GPa. Domain 2 always surrounds domain 1 or occurs as rounded and spindly cores with white-luminescent images. It contains coesite eclogite facies mineral inclusion assemblages, indicating formation under UHP metamorphic conditions of T = 782-849℃ and P 〉 5.5 GPa. Domain 3, with gray-luminescent images, always surrounds domain 2 and occurs as the outermost zircon rim. It is characterized by low-pressure mineral inclusion assemblages, which are related to regional amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism of T = 600- 710℃ and P = 0.7-1.2 GPa. The three metamorphic zircon domains have distinct ages; sample H1 from the Dabie terrane yielded SHRIMP ages of 245 ± 4 Ma for domain 1, 235 ± 3 Ma for domain 2 and 215± 6 Ma for domain 3, whereas sample H2 from the Sulu terrane yielded similar ages of 244 ± 4 Ma, 233 ± 4 Ma and 214 ± 5 Ma for Domains 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The mean ages of these zones suggest that subduction to UHP depths took place over 10-11 Ma and exhumation of the rocks occurred over a period of 19-20 Ma. Thus, subduction from - 55 km to 〉 160 km deep mantle depth took place at rates of approximately 9.5-10.5 km/Ma and exhumation from depths 〉160 km to the base of the crust at -30 km occurred at approximately 6.5 km/Ma. We propose a model for these rocks involving deep subduction of continental margin lithosphere followed by ultrafast exhumation driven by buoyancy forces after break-off of the UHP slab deep within the mantle.展开更多
The Tashisayi nephrite deposit is located in South Altyn Tagh.in Qiemo County,Xinjiang Province,northwest China.It is a recent discovery in the vast,well-known Kunlun-Altyn nephrite belt distributed along the south of...The Tashisayi nephrite deposit is located in South Altyn Tagh.in Qiemo County,Xinjiang Province,northwest China.It is a recent discovery in the vast,well-known Kunlun-Altyn nephrite belt distributed along the south of the Tarim Basin,producing more than half of the nephrite from the whole belt in 2017.Field investigations revealed that it is a dolomitic marble-related(D-type)nephrite deposit,but little is known about its age of formation and relationships between the granites and marble.Here we report field investigations,petrography of the neph rite,as well as petrography,geochemistry,geochronology of the zoisite-quartz altered intrusive rock and adjacent granites.An A-type granite is identified with a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of 926±7 Ma,suggesting it was emplaced in an extensional tectonic environment at that time.The altered intrusive rock has a cluster of U-Pb zircon age of 433±10 Ma.with similar trace element features to the A-type granite,suggesting it was formed in an extensional regime at this later time.Nephrite formed because of the metasomatism of dolomite marble by hydrothermal fluids.It is inferred that Ca^2+was released from the dolomitic marble by metasomatism forming Ca-rich fluids,which caused alteration of both the intrusive rocks(6.00-8.22 wt.%CaO)and granite(1.76-3.68 wt.%CaO)near the nephrite ore bodies.It is also inferred that Fe^2+from the granite migrated towards the dolomite marble.The fluids gave rise to the formation of Ca-minerals.such as zoisite,in the nephrite and altered intrusive rock,and epidote in the granite.Based on the contact relationships.similarity in hydrothermal processes,and consumption of Ca^2+,the Tashisayi nephrite is considered to have formed at the same time as the alteration of the intrusive rocks,i.e.~433 Ma.The geochronological similarity(~926 Ma.433 Ma)of South Altyn and North Qaidam may suggest that tectonically they belong to one single complex in the past,which was offset by the Altyn Tagh fault(ATF).The similar formation ages of the nephrites from Altyn Tagh(433 Ma)and the previously studied areas of West Kunlun(378-441 Ma)and East Kunlun(416 Ma)indicate that these nephrites formed during the closure of Proto-Tethys and in the accompanving post-collisional.extensional environment.展开更多
For understanding acoustic emission （AE） activity and accumulation of micro-damage inside rock under pure tensile state, the AE signals has been monitored on the test of directly tension on two kinds of marble speci...For understanding acoustic emission （AE） activity and accumulation of micro-damage inside rock under pure tensile state, the AE signals has been monitored on the test of directly tension on two kinds of marble specimens. A tensile constitutive model was proposed with the damage factor calculated by AE energy rate. The tensile strength of marble was discrete obviously and was sensitive to the inside microdefects and grain composition. With increasing of loading, the tensile stress-strain curve obviously showed nonlinear with the tensile tangent modulus decreasing. In repeated loading cycle, the tensile elastic modulus was less than that in the previous loading cycle because of the generation of micro damage during the prior loading. It means the linear weakening occurring in the specimens. The AE activity was corresponding with occurrence of nonlinear deformation. In the initial loading stage which only elastic deformation happened on the specimens, there were few AE events occurred; while when the nonlinear deformation happened with increasing of loading, lots of AE events were generated. The quantity and energy of AE events were proportionally related to the variation of tensile tangent modulus. The Kaiser effect of AE activity could be clearly observed in tensile cycle loading. Based on the theory of damage mechanics, the damage factor was defined by AE energy rate and the tensile damage constitutive model was proposed which only needed two property constants. The theoretical stress-strain curve was well fitted with the curve plotted with tested datum and the two property constants were easily gotten by the laboratory testing.展开更多
Four 16.7 km-long tunnels with diameters ranging from 12.4 to 14.6 m are now under construction at Jinping II hydropower station along the Yalong River.The tunnels pass through Triassic rocks below Jinping Mountain.Th...Four 16.7 km-long tunnels with diameters ranging from 12.4 to 14.6 m are now under construction at Jinping II hydropower station along the Yalong River.The tunnels pass through Triassic rocks below Jinping Mountain.The tunnels are characterized with high overburden,long alignment and complex geological conditions.Brittle failure in marble and squeezing in schist are the primary problems in tunnelling.This paper introduces the studies of laboratory tests on Jinping II marble as well as numerical prediction of excavation damaged zone (EDZ) of tunnel section in brittle marble and determination of reinforced concrete lining thickness for restraining time-dependent deformation in the schist tunnel section.Laboratory tests indicate that Jinping II marble presents a complex brittle-ductile-plastic transition behavior of post-peak response with increasing confining pressure.Such behavior can be described numerically with the Hoek-Brown model.The EDZ was calibrated and predicted using both fast Lagrangian analysis of continua (FLAC) and particle flow code (PFC).The predicted result of EDZ in sections with different qualities of rock mass under various overburden pressures is quite helpful in understanding EDZ characterization and support design.A power-law creep model was used to support the lining design,especially in determining the lining thickness.Field convergence measurement data over 19 months were used to calibrate the creep model properties,followed by a sensibility analysis of reinforced concrete lining thickness that was launched to present the maximum lining compressive stress.展开更多
文摘Clonal organisms are particularly useful to investigate the contribution of epigenetics to phenotypic plasticity,because confounding effects of genetic variation are negligible.In the last decade,the apomictic parthenogenetic marbled crayfish,Procambarus virginalis,has been developed as a model to investigate the relationships between phenotypic plasticity and genetic and epigenetic diversity in detail.This crayfish originated about 30 years ago by autotriploidy from a single slough crayfish Procambarus fallax.As the result of human releases and active spreading,marbled crayfish has established numerous populations in very diverse habitats in 22 countries from the tropics to cold temperate regions.Studies in the laboratory and field revealed considerable plasticity in coloration,spination,morphometric parameters,growth,food preference,population structure,trophic position,and niche width.Illumina and PacBio whole-genome sequencing of marbled crayfish from representatives of 19 populations in Europe and Madagascar demonstrated extremely low genetic diversity within and among populations,indicating that the observed phenotypic diversity and ability to live in strikingly different environments are not due to adaptation by selection on genetic variation.In contrast,considerable differences were found between populations in the DNA methylation patterns of hundreds of genes,suggesting that the environmentally induced phenotypic plasticity is mediated by epigenetic mechanisms and corresponding changes in gene expression.Specific DNA methylation fingerprints persisted in local populations over successive years indicating the existence of epigenetic ecotypes,but there is presently no information as to whether these epigenetic signatures are transgenerationally inherited or established anew in each generation and whether the recorded phenotypic plasticity is adaptive or nonadaptive.
文摘Marbling defined by the amount and distribution of intramuscular fat is regarded as an economically important trait of beef cattle in Japan. The pancreatic lipase gene (PNLIP) is located within the genomic region of a bovine marbling quantitative trait locus. The rat homologue of PNLIP has been previously shown to be regarded as a possible candidate for the gene responsible for intramuscular fat content. These findings suggested that PNLIP was a positional and functional candidate for the marbling gene. In this study, we detected a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), g.37288470A > G, at 1917 bp upstream of the PNLIP transcription initiation site between Holstein steers and somatic nuclear-derived cloned steers from a Japanese Black sire with a very high estimated breeding value for marbling by sequencing analysis. Further, we found statistically significant difference in the allelic distribution of the SNP between 17 Japanese Black unrelated sires with extremely high predicted breeding values for marbling and 17 sires with extremely low ones (P = 0.0332). Our findings suggest that g.37288470A > G SNP in the promoter region of PNLIP might be associated with marbling by altering its gene expression, and be useful for effective marker-assisted selection to increase the levels of marbling in Japanese Black beef cattle.
基金financially supported by the Grant Agency of the University of South Bohemia No.GAJU 027/2022/Z and 065/2022/Zmade using facilities of the large research infrastructure supported by the Ministry of Education,Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic project CENAKVA(LM2023038).
文摘Maternal care in crayfish has been extensively studied,but little is known of its response to environmental factors.We studied the duration of maternal care and its association with the juvenile development of marbled crayfish Procambarus virginalis in adverse environmental conditions.We exposed females with developmental stage 3 juveniles to environments of low water volume(LW)with food provided,low water volume with no feed(starvation)(LWS),and low water volume without feeding plus an intruder(red swamp crayfish male)(LWSI).A control group with standard water level/feed conditions was included for comparison.Groups were monitored for up to 90 days.The LWS group showed significantly prolonged maternal care(~65 days)as indicated by an extended attachment phase,delayed moulting of mothers(~53 days),and retarded juvenile development.In the LWSI group,conflict precluded extended maternal care.Low use of shelter and feeding was evident under all stress conditions.The results showed that crayfish females modify maternal care in accordance with conditions,providing a longer period of safety for offspring under adverse circumstances.It is possible that the expression of maternal pheromones can manipulate the developmental rate in juveniles,a topic for future research.
基金This work was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Fisheries Science(R2021040).
文摘An 8-week feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimal dietary protein level for juvenile marbled flounder.Five semi-purified test diets were formulated to contain different protein levels(CP)including 42.7%,47.4%,53.3%,58.8%,and 64.5%(dry matter),named as CP42.7,CP47.4,CP53.3,CP58.8,and CP64.5,respectively.Five hundred and twenty-five juveniles(6.0±0.1 g)were randomly distributed into 15 tanks(300 L tanks),resulting in 35 fish per tank(n-3 tanks).Fish were fed the test diets 5 times per day until satiation.The CP58.8 resulted in the highest gain in weight and the best efficiency in feed utilization among the tested protein levels(P<0.05).Fish fed the CP58.8 diet showed significantly higher whole-body protein and lipid contents than the fish that were fed the other diets(P<0.05).Fish fed the CP53.3,CP58.8,and CP64.5 diets showed a significantly higher dorsal-muscle lipid content than the fish that were fed the CP42.7 and CP47.4 diets(P<0.05).The one-slope straight broken-line regression analysis on the results of the thermal growth coefficient and feed conversion ratio indicated that the estimated optimum dietary protein level was 58.8%.Taken together,it is suggested that the dietary protein level of 58.8%is optimal for better growth and high efficiency in feed utilization for the juvenile marbled flounder.
文摘The attenuation of the acoustic activity in marble specimens under uniaxial compressive loadingunloading loops is quantified in juxtaposition to that of the electric activity.In parallel,the existence of"pre-failure indiceso"warning about entrance into a critical stage,that of impending fracture,is explored.The acoustic activity is quantified in terms of the normalized number of acoustic hits,their average rate of production and their cumulative energy,and,the cumulative counts and their average rate of change.The electric activity is studied in terms of the pressure stimulated currents and the electric charge released.The analysis revealed that the acoustic and electric activities are linearly correlated to each other,suggesting that they are different manifestations of the same damage mechanisms.In addition,Kaiser's effect,governing the acoustic activity,is found to govern,also,the electric activity.Moreover,it is concluded that entrance into the critical stage is safely predicted by means of a simple criterion,based on the evolution of the average rate of change of the normalized cumulative counts in the natural time domain.These predictions are almost identical with those of the criterion based on the "varianceo" and the "entropies" of the time series of acoustic events in this domain.
文摘BACKGROUND Renal tubular acidosis(RTA)refers to a group of kidney disorders characterized by defective acid excretion or bicarbonate reabsorption,leading to metabolic acidosis.This case series presents three cases of RTA with distinct etiologies and clinical manifestations.These cases emphasize the necessity of a comprehensive evaluation of RTA,considering both renal and systemic origins.CASE SUMMARY The first case describes a female patient with osteopetrosis-related RTA,diagnosed with Guibaud-Vainsel syndrome,emphasizing the importance of genetic assessment.The second case delineates RTA secondary to focal segmental glomerulosclerosis,associating tubular dysfunction with glomerular pathology.In the first two cases whole exome sequencing confirmed genetic diagnosis.The third case illuminates RTA as a complication of Graves’disease,highlighting autoimmune implications.CONCLUSION These cases underscore the interdisciplinary approach essential in RTA management.Understanding the diverse pathophysiology of RTA aids in tailored therapeutic strategies and improved patient outcomes.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.41972198)the Science and Technology Innovation Program of Hunan Province(No.2021RC4055)+2 种基金the Cooperation Foundation of Key Laboratory of Mineralogy and Metallogeny,Guangzhou Institute of GeochemistryCAS(No.KLMM20180201)the Scientific Research Starting Foundation of Central South University。
文摘In order to decipher element mobility in UHP meta-sedimentary rocks in the continental subduction zone,major and trace element compositions are investigated for a continuous profile from a representative UHP region in the Dabie Mountains.Among the lithologic contact zone,contents of K,Ca,LREE,and LILE exhibit varying degrees of downward trends in both marble and eclogite toward the contact zone,indicating that marble and their associated eclogite can release a large amount of K,Ca,and a small number of LILEs and LREEs.Titanite is the main Ti phase in both marble and eclogite.Titanite rims around rutile can occasionally be seen in eclogite.Contents of Ti and HFSE exhibit a well-coupled relation among marble and eclogite,indicating that substantial Ti and HFSEs were migrated from eclogite to marble,in accord with the capacity of a melt medium.Rutiles and titanites in marble exhibit a relatively limited variation in Nb/Ta ratios(12.9-16.2),similar to those of titanites in eclogite(14.2-16.7),which demonstrates that rutiles and titanites in marble were sourced from eclogite because of short-distance migrations of Ti and HFSEs.According to the P-T path and the temperature and pressure conditions of the peak metamorphism reported by previous studies,the eclogite associated with marble may not form supercritical fluids in the subduction zone because of the addition of carbonate minerals.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.12272119 and U1965101).
文摘The initial micro-cracks affect the evolution characteristics of macroscopic deformation and failure of rock but are often ignored in theoretical calculation,numerical simulation,and mechanical experiments.In this study,we propose a quantitative analysis model to investigate the effects of initial micro-cracks on the evolution of marble deformation and failure.The relationship between the micro-crack propagation and the marble failure characteristics was comprehensively studied by combining theoretical analysis with a micro-computed tomography(micro-CT)scanning technique.We found that with the increase of confining pressure,the matrix elastic modulus of the marble first increased and then tended to be stable,while the micro-cracks increased exponentially.The sensitivity ranges of the marble sample matrix elastic modulus and micro-cracks to confining pressure were 0–30 MPa and 30–50 MPa,respectively.The porosity and Poisson’s ratio decreased exponentially.The increasing proportion of internal micro-cracks led to an increase in the sample non-uniformity.The samples presented mainly shear failure under triaxial compression,and the failure angle decreased linearly with the increase of confining pressure.The convergence direction of cracks decreased gradually.This quantitative analysis model could accurately portray the relationship between the overall macroscopic deformation and the deviatoric stress of the samples at the compaction and the linear elastic stages,thus deepening the understanding of the stress–strain behavior of rocks.
基金Project(2022NSFSC0279)supported by the General Project of Sichuan Natural Science Foundation,ChinaProject(Z17113)supported by the Key Scientific Research Fund of Xihua University,ChinaProject(SR21A04)supported by the Research Center for Social Development and Social Risk Control of Sichuan Province,Key Research Base of Philosophy and Social Sciences,Sichuan University,China。
文摘Dilatancy is a fundamental volumetric growth behavior observed during loading and serves as a key index to comprehending the intricate nonlinear behavior and constitutive equation structure of rock.This study focuses on Jinping marble obtained from the Jinping Underground Laboratory in China at a depth of 2400 m.Various uniaxial and triaxial tests at different strain rates,along with constant confining pressure tests and reduced confining pressure tests under different confining pressures were conducted to analyze the mechanical response and dilatancy characteristics of the marble under four stress paths.Subsequently,a new empirical dilatancy coefficient is proposed based on the energy dissipation method.The results show that brittle failure characteristics of marble under uniaxial compression are more obvious with the strain rate increasing,and plastic failure characteristics of marble under triaxial compression are gradually strengthened.Furthermore,compared to the constant confining pressure,the volume expansion is relatively lower under unloading condition.The energy dissipation is closely linked to the process of dilatancy,with a rapid increase of dissipated energy coinciding with the beginning of dilatancy.A new empirical dilatancy coefficient is defined according to the change trend of energy dissipation rate curve,of which change trend is consistent with the actual dilatancy response in marble under different stress paths.The existing empirical and theoretical dilatancy models are analyzed,which shows that the empirical dilatancy coefficient based on the energy background is more universal.
基金Supported by the Special Fund for Agro-scientific Research in the Public Interest(201303048)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41176117,31172447)the National Infrastructure of Fishery Germplasm Resources
文摘Sebastiscus marmoratus is an important sedentary ovoviparous fish distributed in near-shore coastal waters from the coast of China to Japan. Candidate S. marmoratus microsatellite markers were developed in the present study using 454 pyrosequencing, and the marker profile was analyzed. A total of 2 000 000 raw sequence reads were assembled to reduce redundancy. Among them, 1 043 dinucleotide, 925 trinucleotide, 692 tetranucleotide, and 315 pentanucleotide repeats were detected. AC repeats were the most frequent motifs among the dinucleotide repeats, and AAT was the most abundant among the trinucleotide repeats. AAAT, ATAG, and ATCC were the three most common tetranucleotide motifs, and AAGAT and AATAT were the most dominant pentanucleotide motifs. The greatest numbers of loci and potentially amplifiable loci were found in dinucleotide repeats, whereas trinucleotide repeats had the fewest. In summary, a wide range of candidate microsatellite markers were identified in the present study using a rapid and efficient 454 pyrosequencing approach.
基金supported by Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants no.2015–67015-23219 and 2016–68006-24634 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture
文摘Background: Marbling, or intramuscular fat, is an important factor contributing to the palatability of beef. Vitamin A, through its active metabolite, retinoic acid, promotes the formation of new fat cells(adipogenesis). As intramuscular adipogenesis is active during the neonatal stage, we hypothesized that vitamin A administration during the neonatal stage would enhance intramuscular adipogenesis and marbling.Methods: Angus steer calves(n = 30), in a completely randomized design, were randomly allotted to three treatment groups at birth, receiving 0, 150,000, or 300,000 IU of vitamin A at both birth and one month of age.A biopsy of the biceps femoris muscle was collected at two months of age. After weaning at 210 d of age, steers were fed a backgrounding diet in a feedlot until 308 d of age, when they were transitioned to a high concentrate finishing diet and implanted with trenbolone/estradiol/tylosin mixture. Steers were harvested at an average of 438 d of age. All diets were formulated to meet nutrient requirements.Results: Weaning weight and weight during the backgrounding phase were linearly increased(P < 0.05) by vitamin A level, though no difference in body weight was observed at harvest. Intramuscular fat of steers at 308 d of age, measured by ultrasound, quadratically increased(P < 0.05) with vitamin A level from 4.0±0.26 % to 4.9±0.26 %.Similarly, carcass marbling score in the ribeye quadratically increased(P < 0.05).Conclusion: Administration of vitamin A at birth increased weaning weight and enhanced marbling fat development.Thus, vitamin A administration provides a practical method for increasing marbling and early growth of beef cattle.
基金Project(2016YFC0801403) supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of ChinaProject(2017RCJJ012) supported by the Scientific Research Foundation of Shandong University of Science and Technology for Recruited Talents,China+1 种基金Project(ZR2018MEE009) supported by the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation,ChinaProject(MDPC2017ZR04) supported by the Open Project Fund for State Key Laboratory of Mining Disaster Prevention and Control Co-founded by Shandong Province and the Ministry of Science and Technology of China
文摘Strainburst is one type of rockburst that generally occurs in deep tunnel.In this study,the strainburst behaviors of marble specimens were investigated under tunnel-excavation-induced stress condition,and two stress paths were designed,a commonly used stress path in true triaxial unloading rockburst tests and a new test path in which the intermediate principal stress was varied.During the tests,a high-speed camera was used to record the strainburst process,and an acoustic emission(AE)monitoring system was used to monitor the AE characteristics of failure.In these two stress paths,all the marble specimens exhibited strainbursts;however,when the intermediate principal stress was varied,the rockburst became more violent.The obtained results indicate that the intermediate principal stress has a significant effect on rockburst behavior of marble.Under a higher intermediate principal stress before the unloading,more elastic strain energy was accumulated in the specimen,and the cumulative AE energy was higher in the rockburst-induced failure,i.e.,more elastic strain energy was released during the failure.Therefore,more violent failure was observed:more rock fragments with a higher mass and larger size were ejected outward.
基金the National 973 Project of Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology （Grant No. 2003CB716502） the Natural Science Foundation of China （Grant No. 40399143） +1 种基金 the German Science Foundation （DFG grant No. GE 1152/2-2 , WE2850/3- 1）.
文摘Eclogite lenses in marbles from the Dabie-Sulu ultrahigh-pressure （UHP） terrane are deeply subducted meta-sedimentary rocks. Zircons in these rocks have been used to constrain the ages of prograde and UHP metamorphism during subduction, and later retrograde metamorphism during exhumation. Inherited （detrital） and metamorphic zircons were distinguished on the basis of transmitted light microscopy, cathodoluminescence （CL） imaging, trace element contents and mineral inclusions. The distribution of mineral inclusions combined with CL imaging of the metamorphic zircon make it possible to relate zircon zones （domains） to different metamorphic stages. Domain 1 consists of rounded, oblong and spindly cores with dark-luminescent images, and contains quartz eclogite facies mineral inclusion assemblages, indicating formation under high-pressure （HP） metamorphic conditions of T = 571-668℃ and P =1.7-2.02 GPa. Domain 2 always surrounds domain 1 or occurs as rounded and spindly cores with white-luminescent images. It contains coesite eclogite facies mineral inclusion assemblages, indicating formation under UHP metamorphic conditions of T = 782-849℃ and P 〉 5.5 GPa. Domain 3, with gray-luminescent images, always surrounds domain 2 and occurs as the outermost zircon rim. It is characterized by low-pressure mineral inclusion assemblages, which are related to regional amphibolite facies retrograde metamorphism of T = 600- 710℃ and P = 0.7-1.2 GPa. The three metamorphic zircon domains have distinct ages; sample H1 from the Dabie terrane yielded SHRIMP ages of 245 ± 4 Ma for domain 1, 235 ± 3 Ma for domain 2 and 215± 6 Ma for domain 3, whereas sample H2 from the Sulu terrane yielded similar ages of 244 ± 4 Ma, 233 ± 4 Ma and 214 ± 5 Ma for Domains 1, 2 and 3, respectively. The mean ages of these zones suggest that subduction to UHP depths took place over 10-11 Ma and exhumation of the rocks occurred over a period of 19-20 Ma. Thus, subduction from - 55 km to 〉 160 km deep mantle depth took place at rates of approximately 9.5-10.5 km/Ma and exhumation from depths 〉160 km to the base of the crust at -30 km occurred at approximately 6.5 km/Ma. We propose a model for these rocks involving deep subduction of continental margin lithosphere followed by ultrafast exhumation driven by buoyancy forces after break-off of the UHP slab deep within the mantle.
基金supported by the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA20070304)the National Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41373055)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(Grant No.2652016126)
文摘The Tashisayi nephrite deposit is located in South Altyn Tagh.in Qiemo County,Xinjiang Province,northwest China.It is a recent discovery in the vast,well-known Kunlun-Altyn nephrite belt distributed along the south of the Tarim Basin,producing more than half of the nephrite from the whole belt in 2017.Field investigations revealed that it is a dolomitic marble-related(D-type)nephrite deposit,but little is known about its age of formation and relationships between the granites and marble.Here we report field investigations,petrography of the neph rite,as well as petrography,geochemistry,geochronology of the zoisite-quartz altered intrusive rock and adjacent granites.An A-type granite is identified with a SHRIMP U-Pb zircon age of 926±7 Ma,suggesting it was emplaced in an extensional tectonic environment at that time.The altered intrusive rock has a cluster of U-Pb zircon age of 433±10 Ma.with similar trace element features to the A-type granite,suggesting it was formed in an extensional regime at this later time.Nephrite formed because of the metasomatism of dolomite marble by hydrothermal fluids.It is inferred that Ca^2+was released from the dolomitic marble by metasomatism forming Ca-rich fluids,which caused alteration of both the intrusive rocks(6.00-8.22 wt.%CaO)and granite(1.76-3.68 wt.%CaO)near the nephrite ore bodies.It is also inferred that Fe^2+from the granite migrated towards the dolomite marble.The fluids gave rise to the formation of Ca-minerals.such as zoisite,in the nephrite and altered intrusive rock,and epidote in the granite.Based on the contact relationships.similarity in hydrothermal processes,and consumption of Ca^2+,the Tashisayi nephrite is considered to have formed at the same time as the alteration of the intrusive rocks,i.e.~433 Ma.The geochronological similarity(~926 Ma.433 Ma)of South Altyn and North Qaidam may suggest that tectonically they belong to one single complex in the past,which was offset by the Altyn Tagh fault(ATF).The similar formation ages of the nephrites from Altyn Tagh(433 Ma)and the previously studied areas of West Kunlun(378-441 Ma)and East Kunlun(416 Ma)indicate that these nephrites formed during the closure of Proto-Tethys and in the accompanving post-collisional.extensional environment.
文摘For understanding acoustic emission （AE） activity and accumulation of micro-damage inside rock under pure tensile state, the AE signals has been monitored on the test of directly tension on two kinds of marble specimens. A tensile constitutive model was proposed with the damage factor calculated by AE energy rate. The tensile strength of marble was discrete obviously and was sensitive to the inside microdefects and grain composition. With increasing of loading, the tensile stress-strain curve obviously showed nonlinear with the tensile tangent modulus decreasing. In repeated loading cycle, the tensile elastic modulus was less than that in the previous loading cycle because of the generation of micro damage during the prior loading. It means the linear weakening occurring in the specimens. The AE activity was corresponding with occurrence of nonlinear deformation. In the initial loading stage which only elastic deformation happened on the specimens, there were few AE events occurred; while when the nonlinear deformation happened with increasing of loading, lots of AE events were generated. The quantity and energy of AE events were proportionally related to the variation of tensile tangent modulus. The Kaiser effect of AE activity could be clearly observed in tensile cycle loading. Based on the theory of damage mechanics, the damage factor was defined by AE energy rate and the tensile damage constitutive model was proposed which only needed two property constants. The theoretical stress-strain curve was well fitted with the curve plotted with tested datum and the two property constants were easily gotten by the laboratory testing.
基金Support by the China Postdoctor Fund (20100471757)
文摘Four 16.7 km-long tunnels with diameters ranging from 12.4 to 14.6 m are now under construction at Jinping II hydropower station along the Yalong River.The tunnels pass through Triassic rocks below Jinping Mountain.The tunnels are characterized with high overburden,long alignment and complex geological conditions.Brittle failure in marble and squeezing in schist are the primary problems in tunnelling.This paper introduces the studies of laboratory tests on Jinping II marble as well as numerical prediction of excavation damaged zone (EDZ) of tunnel section in brittle marble and determination of reinforced concrete lining thickness for restraining time-dependent deformation in the schist tunnel section.Laboratory tests indicate that Jinping II marble presents a complex brittle-ductile-plastic transition behavior of post-peak response with increasing confining pressure.Such behavior can be described numerically with the Hoek-Brown model.The EDZ was calibrated and predicted using both fast Lagrangian analysis of continua (FLAC) and particle flow code (PFC).The predicted result of EDZ in sections with different qualities of rock mass under various overburden pressures is quite helpful in understanding EDZ characterization and support design.A power-law creep model was used to support the lining design,especially in determining the lining thickness.Field convergence measurement data over 19 months were used to calibrate the creep model properties,followed by a sensibility analysis of reinforced concrete lining thickness that was launched to present the maximum lining compressive stress.
