Genetic parameter estimation for reproductive traits in QingYu pigs and comparison of carcass and meat quality traits to Berkshire×QingYu crossbred pigs

Luo Jia,Yang Yiting,Liao Kun,Liu Bin,Chen Ying,Shen Linyuan,Chen Lei,Jiang An’an,Liu Yihui,Li Qiang,Wang Jinyong,Li Xuewei,Zhang Shunhua,Zhu Li 아세아·태평양축산학회 2020 Animal Bioscience Vol.33 No.8

Objective: The QingYu pig is well known for its excellent meat quality attributes in Sichuan province, China. In order to improve its production efficiency, the determination of genetic factors contributing to quantifiable economic traits of livestock is important. Moreover, the cross-breeding of QingYu pigs with western breeds possessing strong growth attributes is an efficient way to improve the performance of this breed. Methods: Here, the genetic parameters of several important reproductive traits of QingYu pigs were estimated, include total number born (TNB), number born alive, litter birth weight, individual birth weight, number of piglets weaned, litter weaning weight, and individual weaning weight. The data was analyzed using the ASReml 3.0 software (NSW Inc., Sydney, Australia). Furthermore, the effects of crossing Berkshire with QingYu (BQ) pigs on carcass and meat quality traits, as well as the effects of slaughter weight on carcass and meat quality of BQ were characterized. Results: QingYu pigs exhibited superior reproductive traits. The TNB available to QingYu pigs was more than 8 per parity. The observed repeatability of the reproductive traits of the QingYu pigs was between 0.10 and 0.23. The significantly correlated genetic and phenotypic of reproduction traits were consistent. Interestingly, the BQ pigs exhibited improved carcass quality, with a significant increase in loin muscle area, lean percentage and reduction in sebum percentage. As a result, BQ had higher L45min, lower cooking scores, and lower drip loss. In addition, the loin muscle area, body length, and sebum percentage were significantly higher in 90 and 100 kg animals. Cooking loss showed a significant increase at 80 kg, and marbling increased significantly from 90 kg. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that QingYu pigs exhibit excellent reproductive properties and heritability of these traits. Crossing with Berkshire is an efficient strategy to improve the carcass and meat quality of QingYu pigs for commercial operations. Furthermore, it appears as though the optimal slaughter weight of BQ pigs is at approximately 90 kg.

Effect of Dynamic Interaction of Two Neighboring Tunnels on Vibrations from Underground Railways in the Saturated Soil

Chao He,Shunhua Zhou,Honggui Di,Xinwen Yang 대한토목학회 2019 KSCE Journal of Civil Engineering Vol.23 No.11

This paper analytically investigates the dynamic interaction of two neighboring tunnels in the saturated soil. The twin tunnels are simulated using the Flügge shell theory, and the surrounding soil is modelled by the Biot's theory. The solution for cylindrical waves in saturated porous media is derived by applying the potential decomposition. The addition theorem is subsequently introduced to translate cylindrical waves, thereby satisfying the boundary conditions at the interfaces between the twin tunnels and saturated soil. Numerical examples are presented to analyze soil vibrations under different loading conditions calculated by different tunnel models. The neighboring tunnels have strong dynamic interaction, resulting in the insertion gain up to ± 20 dB. It is recommended to account for the interaction between neighboring tunnels when calculating the vibrations from underground railways.

Comparison of the comb cell structure of Apis dorsata (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in two areas of China

Deng Shangkao,Huang Rong,Meng Qingxin,Yang Shunhua,Zhao Wenzheng,Tian Yakai,Dong Xia,Dong Kun,Gong Xueyang 한국응용곤충학회 2023 Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology Vol.26 No.2

The comb cell structure of Apis dorsata in different ecoregions is rarely reported. This study compared the dif ferences in the comb cell structure of Apis dorsata from Menghai of Yunnan Province and Chengmai of Hainan Province, China. Accordingly, parameters such as brood comb thickness, the width of ten consecutive brood cells, cell diameter, depth, inclination angle, and the side length of the cell mouth were measured. The results showed that within the same area, the widths of ten consecutive cells and single-cell diameter in the 0 ◦ direction were significantly bigger than that in the 60 ◦ and 120 ◦ directions, however, there was no significant difference for the same between the 60 ◦ and 120 ◦ directions. The average width of ten consecutive cells and the single-cell diameter showed significant differences between the two areas. These were significantly bigger in Menghai than in Chengmai. The average thickness of the brood comb, cell depth, and side length of the cell mouth were also significantly higher in Menghai than in Chengmai, however, the cell inclination angle showed no regional difference. These differences in the comb cell structure of Apis dorsata may be due to the difference in the ecological environment of the two areas. This study revealed the structural characteristics of the comb cells of Apis dorsata in different areas of China, increasing our biological knowledge of this bee species.

Estimation of Growth Curves and Suitable Slaughter Weight of the Liangshan Pig

Luo, Jia,Lei, Huaigang,Shen, Linyuan,Yang, Runlin,Pu, Qiang,Zhu, Kangping,Li, Mingzhou,Tang, Guoqing,Li, Xuewei,Zhang, Shunhua,Zhu, Li Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.9

The Liangshan pig is a traditional Chinese small-sized breed; it has a relatively long feeding period and low meat production ability but superior meat quality. This study utilized three non-linear growth models (Von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, and logistic) to fit the growth curve of Liangshan pigs from an unselected, random-bred pig population and estimate the pigs most suitable slaughter weight. The growth development data at 20 time points of 275 Liangshan pigs (from birth to 250 d) were collected. To analyze the relative gene expression related to development, seven slaughter weight phases (50, 58, 66, 74, 82, 90, and 98 kg) (20 pigs per phase) were examined. We found that the Liangshan pig growth curve fit the typical S-curve well and that their growth turning point was 193.4 days at a weight of 62.5 kg, according to the best fit Von Bertalanffy model based on the goodness of fit criteria. Furthermore, we estimated that the most suitable slaughter weight was 62.5 to 74.9 kg based on the growth curve and the relative expression levels of growth-related genes.

Estimation of Growth Curves and Suitable Slaughter Weight of the Liangshan Pig

Jia Luo,Huaigang Lei,Linyuan Shen,Runlin Yang,Qiang Pu,Kangping Zhu,Mingzhou Li,Guoqing Tang,Xuewei Li,Shunhua Zhang,Li Zhu 아세아·태평양축산학회 2015 Animal Bioscience Vol.28 No.9

The Liangshan pig is a traditional Chinese small-sized breed; it has a relatively long feeding period and low meat production ability but superior meat quality. This study utilized three non-linear growth models (Von Bertalanffy, Gompertz, and logistic) to fit the growth curve of Liangshan pigs from an unselected, random-bred pig population and estimate the pigs most suitable slaughter weight. The growth development data at 20 time points of 275 Liangshan pigs (from birth to 250 d) were collected. To analyze the relative gene expression related to development, seven slaughter weight phases (50, 58, 66, 74, 82, 90, and 98 kg) (20 pigs per phase) were examined. We found that the Liangshan pig growth curve fit the typical S-curve well and that their growth turning point was 193.4 days at a weight of 62.5 kg, according to the best fit Von Bertalanffy model based on the goodness of fit criteria. Furthermore, we estimated that the most suitable slaughter weight was 62.5 to 74.9 kg based on the growth curve and the relative expression levels of growth-related genes.

Coat colour phenotype of Qingyu pig is associated with polymorphisms of melanocortin receptor 1 gene

Xiaoqian Wu,Zhendong Tan,Linyuan Shen,Qiong Yang,Xiao Cheng,Kun Liao,Lin Bai,Surong Shuai,Mingzhou Li,Xuewei Li,Shunhua Zhang,Li Zhu 아세아·태평양축산학회 2017 Animal Bioscience Vol.30 No.7

Objective: Qingyu pig, a Chinese indigenous pig breed, exhibits two types of coat colour phenotypes, including pure black and white with black spotting respectively. Melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) and agouti signaling protein (ASIP) are two widely reported pivotal genes that significantly affect the regulation of coat colour. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether the polymorphisms of these two genes are associated with coat colour and analyze the molecular mechanism of the coat colour separation in Qingyu pig. Methods: We studied the phenotype segregation and used polymerase chain reaction amplification and Sanger sequencing to investigate the polymorphism of MC1R and ASIP in 121 Qingyu pigs, consisting of 115 black and 6 white with black spotted pigs. Results: Coat colour of Qingyu pig is associated with the polymorphisms of MC1R but not ASIP. We only found 2 haplotypes, EQY and Eqy, based on the 13 observed mutations from MC1R gene. Among which, Eqy presented a recessive inheritance mode in black spotted Qingyu pigs. Further analysis revealed a g.462-463CC insertion that caused a frameshift mutation and a premature stop codon, thus changed the first transmembrane domain completely and lost the remaining six transmembrane domains. Altogether, our results strongly support that the variety of Qingyu pig’s coat colour is related to MC1R. Conclusion: Our findings indicated that black coat colour in Qingyu pig was dominant to white with black spotted phenotype and MC1R gene polymorphism was associated with coat colour separation in Qingyu pig.

Single nucleotide polymorphism-based analysis of the genetic structure of Liangshan pig population

Liu, Bin,Shen, Linyuan,Guo, Zhixian,Gan, Mailing,Chen, Ying,Yang, Runling,Niu, Lili,Jiang, Dongmei,Zhong, Zhijun,Li, Xuewei,Zhang, Shunhua,Zhu, Li Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.7

Objective: To conserve and utilize the genetic resources of a traditional Chinese indigenous pig breed, Liangshan pig, we assessed the genetic diversity, genetic structure, and genetic distance in this study. Methods: We used 50K single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) chip for SNP detection of 139 individuals in the Liangshan Pig Conservation Farm. Results: The genetically closed conserved population consisted of five overlapping generations, and the total effective content of the population (Ne) was 15. The whole population was divided into five boar families and one non-boar family. Among them, the effective size of each generation subpopulation continuously decreased. However, the proportion of polymorphic markers (P_N) first decreased and then increased. The average genetic distance of these 139 Liangshan pigs was 0.2823±0.0259, and the average genetic distance of the 14 boars was 0.2723±0.0384. Thus, it can be deduced that the genetic distance changed from generation to generation. In the conserved population, 983 runs of homozygosity (ROH) were detected, and the majority of ROH (80%) were within 100 Mb. The inbreeding coefficient calculated based on ROH showed an average value of 0.026 for the whole population. In addition, the inbreeding coefficient of each generation subpopulation initially increased and then decreased. In the pedigree of the whole conserved population, the error rate of paternal information was more than 11.35% while the maternal information was more than 2.13%. Conclusion: This molecular study of the population genetic structure of Liangshan pig showed loss of genetic diversity during the closed cross-generation reproduction process. It is necessary to improve the mating plan or introduce new outside blood to ensure long-term preservation of Liangshan pig.

Amorphous FePO4/reduced graphene oxide composite prepared from jarosite residue and its application as a novel anode material for lithium-ion batteries

Yanwei Li,Wenhan Xu,Jinhuan Yao,Bin Huang,Shunhua Xiao,Jianwen Yang 한국공업화학회 2023 Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol.125 No.-

Rational utilization of jarosite residue is significantly important from the view of environmental protectionand resource recycling. Herein, we report a facile preparation of porous amorphous FePO4/reducedgraphene oxide (rGO) composite by utilizing the iron resource in jarosite residue with a selective chemicalprecipitation method, and demonstrate its great potential as a high-performance anode material oflithium-ion batteries (LIBs). The FePO4/rGO composite exhibits superior cyclic performance(812.7 mA h g1 over 300 cycles at 500 mA g1) and high-rate capability (335.2 mA h g1 even at a highcurrent density of 10 A g1) in a half cell. More importantly, the full LIB assembled with FePO4/rGO anodeand commercial Li(Ni0.5Co0.2Mn0.3)O2 (NCM523) cathode still delivers a high and stable capacity of 674. 9/528.7 mA h g1 upon 100/300 cycles at 200/500 mA g1, indicating the great potential of this FePO4/rGO composite as a new anode material with high lithium storage performance. This work proposes asimple, feasible, and cost-effective strategy for the high-valued utilization of jarosite residue and providesa reference for the design and development of FePO4-based anode materials for LIBs.