Summary
Breeding for good meat quality performance while maintaining large body size and desirable carcass traits has been the major challenge for modern swine selective breeding. To address this ...goal, in the present work we studied five related populations produced by two commercial breeds (Berkshire and Duroc) and two Chinese breeds (Licha black pig and Lulai black pig). A single‐trait GWAS performed on 20 body size and carcass traits using a self‐developed China Chip‐1 porcine SNP50K BeadChip identified 11 genome‐wide significant QTL on nine chromosomes and 22 suggestive QTL on 15 chromosomes. For the 11 genome‐wide significant QTL, eight were detected in at least two populations, and the rest were population‐specific and only mapped in Shanxia black pig. Most of the genome‐wide significant QTL were pleiotropic; for example, the QTL around 75.65 Mb on SSC4 was associated with four traits at genome‐wide significance level. After screening the genes within 50 kb of the top SNP for each genome‐wide significant QTL, NR6A1 and VRTN were chosen as candidate genes for vertebrae number; PLAG1 and BMP2 were identified as candidate genes for body size; and MC4R was the strong candidate gene for body weight. The four genes have been reported as candidates for thoracic vertebrae number, lumbar vertebrae number, carcass length and body weight respectively in previous studies. The effects of VRTN on thoracic vertebrae number, carcass length and body length have been verified in Shanxia black pig. Therefore, the VRTN genotype could be used in gene‐assisted selection, and this could accelerate genetic improvement of body size and carcass traits in Shanxia black pig.
We statistically examine the characteristic scaling features of fluctuations in the dayside Venusian magnetosheath downstream of different types, quasi‐parallel (Q∥) and quasi‐perpendicular (Q⊥), of ...bow shock based on Venus Express data. We found that magnetic fluctuations have different characteristic scaling features downstream of Q∥ and Q⊥ bow shocks. Although the Venusian dayside magnetosheath is much thinner than the Earth magnetosheath, fully developed turbulence can be still observed downstream of the Q∥ bow shock, while the turbulence is not dominant downstream of Q⊥ bow shock. The type of bow shock plays an important role in the characteristic scaling features of downstream magnetic fluctuations. That means that the Q∥ IMF might be a source of the turbulence in Venusian magnetosheath.
Key Points
Magnetic fluctuations have different characteristic scaling features downstream of Q∥ and Q⊥ bow shocks
Fully developed turbulence can be observed downstream of the Q∥ bow shock, while the turbulence is not dominant downstream of Q⊥ bow shock
The Q⊥ IMF might be a source of the turbulence in Venusian magnetosheath
A large deformation particle method based on the Krongauz–Belytschko corrected-gradient meshfree method with Lagrangian kernels is developed. In this form, the gradient is corrected by a linear ...transformation so that linear completeness is satisfied. For the test functions, Shepard functions are used; this guarantees that the patch test is met. Lagrangian kernels are introduced to eliminate spurious distortions of the domain of material stability. A mass allocation scheme is developed that captures correct reflection of waves without any explicit application of traction boundary conditions. In addition, the Lagrangian kernel versions of various forms of smooth particle methods (SPH), including the standard forms and the Randles–Libersky modification are presented and studied. Results are obtained for a variety of problems that compare this method to standard forms of SPH, the Randles–Libersky correction and large deformation versions of the element-free Galerkin method.
Identifying the exact transmission route(s) of infectious diseases in indoor environments is a crucial step in developing effective intervention strategies. In this study, we proposed a comparative ...analysis approach and built a model to simulate outbreaks of 3 different in‐flight infections in a similar cabin environment, that is, influenza A H1N1, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (CoV), and norovirus. The simulation results seemed to suggest that the close contact route was probably the most significant route (contributes 70%, 95% confidence interval CI: 67%‐72%) in the in‐flight transmission of influenza A H1N1 transmission; as a result, passengers within 2 rows of the index case had a significantly higher infection risk than others in the outbreak (relative risk RR: 13.4, 95% CI: 1.5‐121.2, P = .019). For SARS CoV, the airborne, close contact, and fomite routes contributed 21% (95% CI: 19%‐23%), 29% (95% CI: 27%‐31%), and 50% (95% CI: 48%‐53%), respectively. For norovirus, the simulation results suggested that the fomite route played the dominant role (contributes 85%, 95% CI: 83%‐87%) in most cases; as a result, passengers in aisle seats had a significantly higher infection risk than others (RR: 9.5, 95% CI: 1.2‐77.4, P = .022). This work highlighted a method for using observed outbreak data to analyze the roles of different infection transmission routes.
We systematically investigate the wave propagation, plasticity and void collapse, as well as the effects of porosity, specific surface area and impact velocity, in a set of open-cell nanoporous Ta, ...during shock compression, via performing large-scale non-equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations. The shock wave propagation presents an impedance, sensitive to porosity, but not to specific surface area. Such surprising phenomena are due to the similar sensitivities in density and stress variations to porosity or specific surface area. Upon impact, shock front shapes change from ramped to steep ones, with increasing porosity, specific surface area or impact velocity, owing to the transition from the heterogeneous to homogeneous plasticity along transverse directions. This transition of plasticity arises by (i) the strong impedance on large deformation bands as porosity increases; and (ii) the transition from deformation twinning to dislocation slips, and to amorphization, as the specific surface area or impact velocity increases. Shock-induced plasticity, including their nucleation, growth and interactions, also facilitates the collapse of voids.
► Microstructure and tensile properties are investigated systematically. ► The TiB and TiC tended to segregate at prior β grain boundaries. ► The prior β grain size and α lath width are significantly ...refined. ► Microstructural refinement donminates the strengthening contribution.
In this paper, high temperature titanium matrix composites with different volume fraction of (TiB+TiC) reinforcements were in situ synthesized by casting route. The microstructure and tensile properties of the composites were presented and discussed. The results reveal that both the TiB whiskers and TiC particles tend to segregate at prior β boundaries. The prior β grain size and α lath width are gradually refined with increasing volume fraction of reinforcements. Evolution of tensile properties shows that enhancement in yield strength and ultimate tensile strength with addition of reinforcements is primarily attributed to microstructural refinement, while the remarkable reduction in ductility is possibly due to the cracking of TiB whiskers and TiC particles.
Recent studies have indicated that periodontitis promotes metabolic dysregulation and insulin resistance by affecting the function of white adipose tissue (WAT). However, the mechanisms linking ...periodontitis to adipose tissue dysfunction still need to be explored. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) deliver messages to distal sites and regulate their function. Also, recent studies have shown that periodontitis changes the composition of EVs in body fluids and that EVs might be one of the mechanisms underlying the relationship between periodontitis and insulin resistance. Herein, we explored the impact of polymicrobial oral infection with periodontal pathogens on the function of WAT and the role of gingival EVs (gEVs) in the process. Mice were subjected to oral inoculation with 109 Porphyromonas gingivalis and 108 Fusobacterium nucleatum every other day for 14 wk. This prolonged bacterial infection induced WAT dysfunction, characterized by reduced levels of AKT phosphorylation, adiponectin, leptin, and genes associated with adipogenesis and lipogenesis. We successfully isolated gEVs with satisfactory yield and purity. The RNA sequencing results showed that the differentially expressed microRNAs in the gEVs of mice with polymicrobial oral infection were involved in insulin signaling and adipose tissue function. Notably, our in vitro experiments and RNA sequencing results revealed the functional similarities between gEVs and plasma-derived EVs. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection with gEVs derived from mice with oral infection induced the dysfunction of WAT in healthy mice. Overall, our findings provide evidence for the influence of polymicrobial oral infection on WAT function and propose gEVs as a novel pathway through which periodontal infection may exert its effects on WAT.
The Ediacaran Doushantuo Formation in South China is a prime target for geobiological investigation because it offers opportunities to integrate chemostratigraphic and paleobiological data. Previous ...studies were mostly focused on successions in shallow‐water shelf facies, but data from deep‐water successions are needed to fully understand basinal redox structures. Here, we report δ13Ccarb, δ13Corg, δ34Spyr, δ34SCAS, and δ15Nsed data from a drill core of the fossiliferous Lantian Formation, which is a deep‐water equivalent of the Doushantuo Formation. Our data confirm a large (>10‰) spatial gradient in δ13Ccarb in the lower Doushantuo/Lantian formations, but this gradient is probably due to the greater sensitivity of carbonate‐poor deep‐water sediments to isotopic mixing with 13C‐depleted carbonate cements. A pronounced negative δ13Ccarb excursion (EN3) in the upper Doushantuo/Lantian formations, however, is spatially consistent and may be an equivalent of the Shuram excursion. δ34Spyr is more negative in deeper‐water facies than in shallow‐water facies, particularly in the lower Doushantuo/Lantian formations, and this spatial pattern is interpreted as evidence for ocean redox stratification: Pyrite precipitated in euxinic deep waters has lower δ34Spyr than that formed within shallow‐water sediments. The Lantian Formation was probably deposited in oscillating oxic and euxinic conditions. Euxinic black shales have higher TOC and TN contents, but lower δ34Spyr and δ15Nsed values. In euxinic environments, pyrite was predominantly formed in the water column and organic nitrogen was predominantly derived from nitrogen fixation or NH4+ assimilation because of quantitative denitrification, resulting in lower δ34Spyr and δ15Nsed values. Benthic macroalgae and putative animals occur exclusively in euxinic black shales. If preserved in situ, these organisms must have lived in brief oxic episodes punctuating largely euxinic intervals, only to be decimated and preserved when the local environment switched back to euxinia again. Thus, taphonomy and ecology were the primary factors controlling the stratigraphic distribution of macrofossils in the Lantian Formation.
Pyroptosis is a form of cell death important in defenses against pathogens that can also result in a potent and sometimes pathological inflammatory response. During pyroptosis, GSDMD (gasdermin D), ...the pore-forming effector protein, is cleaved, forms oligomers, and inserts into the membranes of the cell, resulting in rapid cell death. However, the potent cell death induction caused by GSDMD has complicated our ability to understand the biology of this protein. Studies aimed at visualizing GSDMD have relied on expression of GSDMD fragments in epithelial cell lines that naturally lack GSDMD expression and also lack the proteases necessary to cleave GSDMD. In this work, we performed mutagenesis and molecular modeling to strategically place tags and fluorescent proteins within GSDMD that support native pyroptosis and facilitate live-cell imaging of pyroptotic cell death. Here, we demonstrate that these fusion proteins are cleaved by caspases-1 and -11 at Asp-276. Mutations that disrupted the predicted p30-p20 autoinhibitory interface resulted in GSDMD aggregation, supporting the oligomerizing activity of these mutations. Furthermore, we show that these novel GSDMD fusions execute inflammasome-dependent pyroptotic cell death in response to multiple stimuli and allow for visualization of the morphological changes associated with pyroptotic cell death in real time. This work therefore provides new tools that not only expand the molecular understanding of pyroptosis but also enable its direct visualization.
Summary
Background
Recent evidence found probiotics could inhibit Helicobacter pylori colonization from both in vitro and in vivo studies.
Aim
To systematically evaluate whether adding probiotics to ...anti‐H. pylori regimens could improve eradication rates and reduce side effects during anti‐H. pylori treatment.
Methods
Eligible articles were identified by searches of electronic databases. We included all randomized trials comparing probiotics supplementation to placebo or no treatment during anti‐H. pylori regimens. Statistical analysis was performed with Review Manager 4.2.8. Subanalysis/Sensitivity analysis was also performed.
Results
We identified 14 randomized trials (n = 1671). Pooled H. pylori eradication rates were 83.6% (95% CI = 80.5–86.7%) and 74.8% (95% CI = 71.1–78.5%) for patients with or without probiotics by intention‐to‐treat analysis, respectively, the odds ratio (OR) was 1.84 (95% CI = 1.34–2.54); the occurrence of total side effects were 24.7% (95% CI = 20.0–29.4%) and 38.5% (95% CI = 33.0–44.1%) for groups with or without probiotics, especially for diarrhoea, the summary OR was 0.44 (95% CI = 0.30–0.66).
Conclusions
Our review suggests that supplementation with probiotics could be effective in increasing eradication rates of anti‐H. pylori therapy, and could be considered helpful for patients with eradication failure. Furthermore, probiotics show a positive impact on H. pylori therapy‐related side effects.
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