New Evidence of Alleles (V199I and G52S) at the PRKAG3 (RN) Locus Affecting Pork Meat Quality

Chen, J.F.,Dai, L.H.,Peng, J.,Li, J.L.,Zheng, R.,Zuo, B.,Li, F.E.,Liu, M.,Yue, K.,Lei, M.G.,Xiong, Y.Z.,Deng, C.Y.,Jiang, S.W. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2008 Animal Bioscience Vol.21 No.4

The porcine PRKAG3 (RN) gene encodes the regulatory gamma subunit of adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which is a good candidate gene affecting meat quality. In this study, the effects of two missense mutations A595G (Ile199Val) and G154A (Gly52Ser) in porcine PRKAG3 gene on meat quality traits were studied in M. Longissimus dorsi (LD), M. Semispinalis capitis (SC) and M. Biceps femoris (BF) from different populations of 326 pigs. The PRKAG3 alleles 199I, 199IV, 52S and 52G were identified with PCR-RFLPs and all genotypes - 199I/199I, 199I/199V, 199V/199V, 52S/52S, 52S/52G and 52G/52G - were found. The frequency of V allele was larger than that of I allele in all populations. I allele frequency was zero in Chinese Meishan pigs (population D) especially. G allele frequency was larger than that of S allele in all populations except Large White (population A). Both variations at the PRKAG3 locus significantly affected these meat quality traits. The pork meat quality has not previously been established in Meishan or crosses thereof. The results suggested that generally pH of LD, SC and BF was higher in Meishan pigs than that in other populations. Moreover, Meishan pigs showed higher water-holding capacity and intramuscular fat (IMF), lower water content and water loss percentage compared to other populations in terms of the two variations. The results present here supply new evidence that alleles V199I and G52S at the PRKAG3 locus affect pork meat quality and provide useful information on pork production.

Investigation of PCR-RFLPs within Major Histocompatibility Complex B-G Genes Using Two Restriction Enzymes in Eight Breeds of Chinese Indigenous Chickens

R. F. Xu,K. Li,G. H. Chen,B. Y. Z. Qiang,D. L. Mo,B. Fan,C. C. Li,M. Yu,M. J. Zhu,T. A. Xiong,B. Liu 아세아·태평양축산학회 2005 Animal Bioscience Vol.18 No.7

New polymorphism of major histocompatibility complex B-G genes was investigated by amplification and digestion of a 401bp fragment including intron 1 and exon 2 using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP) technique with two restriction enzymes of Msp I and Tas I in eight breeds of Chinese indigenous chickens and one exotic breed. In the fragment region of the gene, three novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected at the two restriction sites. We found the transition of two nucleotides of A294G and T295C occurred at Tas I restriction site, and consequently led to a nonsynonymous substitution of asparagine into serine at position 54 within the deduced amino acid sequence of immunoglobulin variableregion- like domain encoded by the exon 2 of B-G gene. It was observed at rare frequency that a single mutation of A294G occurring at the site, also caused an identical substitution of amino acid, asparagine 54-to-serine, to that we described previously. And the transversion of G319C at Msp I site led to a non-synonymous substitution, glutamine 62-to-histidine. The new alleles and allele frequencies identified by the PCR-RFLP method with the two enzymes were characterized, of which the allele A and B frequencies at Msp I and Tas I loci were given disequilibrium distribution either in the eight Chinese local breeds or in the exotic breed. By comparison, allele A at Msp I locus tended to be dominant, while, the allele B at Tas I locus tended to be dominant in all of the breeds analyzed. In Tibetan chickens, the preliminary association analysis revealed that no significant difference was observed between the different genotypes identified at the Msp I and Tas I loci and the laying performance traits, respectively.

INTERACTIONS OF THE INFRARED BUBBLE N4 WITH ITS SURROUNDINGS

Liu, Hong-Li,Li, Jin-Zeng,Wu, Yuefang,Yuan, Jing-Hua,Liu, Tie,Dubner, G.,Paron, S.,Ortega, M. E.,Molinari, Sergio,Huang, Maohai,Zavagno, Annie,Samal, Manash R.,Huang, Ya-Fang,Zhang, Si-Ju American Astronomical Society 2016 The Astrophysical journal Vol.818 No.1

<P>The physical mechanisms that induce the transformation of a certain mass of gas in new stars are far from being well understood. Infrared bubbles associated with H II regions have been considered to be good samples for investigating triggered star formation. In this paper we report on the investigation of the dust properties of the infrared bubble N4 around the H II. region G11.898+0.747, analyzing its interaction with its surroundings and star formation histories therein, with the aim of determining the possibility of star formation triggered by the expansion of the bubble. Using Herschel PACS and SPIRE images with a wide wavelength coverage, we reveal the dust properties over the entire bubble. Meanwhile, we are able to identify six dust clumps surrounding the bubble, with a mean size of 0.50 pc, temperature of about 22 K, mean column density of 1.7 x 10(22) cm(-2), mean volume density of about 4.4 x 10(4) cm(-3), and a mean mass of 320M(circle dot). In addition, from PAH emission seen at 8 mu m, free-free emission detected at 20 cm, and a probability density function in special regions, we could identify clear signatures of the influence of the H II region on the surroundings. There are hints of star formation, though further investigation is required to demonstrate that N4 is the triggering source.</P>

MINERAL NUTRITION OF GRAZING SHEEP IN NORTHERN CHINA I. MACRO-MINERALS IN PASTURE, FEED SUPPLEMENTS AND SHEEP

Masters, D.G.,Purser, D.B.,Yu, S.X.,Wang, Z.S.,Yang, R.Z.,Liu, N.,Lu, D.X.,Wu, L.H.,Ren, J.K.,Li, G.H. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 1993 Animal Bioscience Vol.6 No.1

This study determined the macro-mineral levels in plants and sheep, at different times during the year, at three farms in northern China. Samples of plants, animal tissues and faeces were collected at 5 to 8 times during the year from each site. They were analysed for calcium, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. Sodium concentrations in plants were below those recommended for optimum animal production at all sites for all or part of the year (0.01-1.66 g/kg DM). Low concentrations of sodium in faeces were measured and signs of sodium deficiency (soil ingestion) were observed on one farm. There were seasonal trends in other mineral levels in plants and animals. Plants were lowest in potassium (2.3-13.4 g/kg DM), magnesium (1.28-4.82 g/kg DM) and phosphorus (0.24-1.62 g/kg DM) in winter and spring. However, high levels of these elements were supplied in the feed supplements used at this time of the year. During the periods of rapid pasture growth, in summer and autumn, supplements of feed and salt are often not provide even though pasture concentrations of phosphorus and sodium are low. It may be at these times that sheep will be most susceptible to deficiencies of these elements.

Hypothalamic Norepinephrine Mediates Acupunctural Effects on Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis During Ethanol Withdrawal

Zhao, Z.L.,Kim, S.C.,Zhang, J.,Liu, H.F.,Lee, B.H.,Jang, E.Y.,Lee, C.W.,Cho, I.J.,An, W.G.,Yang, C.H.,Kim, Y.W.,Zhao, R.J.,Wu, Y.Y. Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam 2016 JOURNAL OF ACUPUNCTURE AND MERIDIAN STUDIES Vol.9 No.1

A previous study demonstrated that acupuncture at ST36 (Zu-San-Li) attenuates ethanol withdrawal (EW)-induced hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in rats. The current study investigated the involvement of hypothalamic norepinephrine (NE) in that process. Rats were intraperitoneally treated with 3 g/kg/d of ethanol or saline for 28 days. After 24 hours of EW, acupuncture was applied to rats at bilateral ST36 points or at nonacupoints (tail) for 1 minute. A high-performance liquid chromatography analysis showed that EW significantly increased both the NE and the 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylglycol (MHPG) levels in the hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Western blot analysis also revealed that EW markedly elevated the phosphorylation rates of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), but spared TH protein expression in the PVN. However, acupuncture at ST36, but not at nonacupoints, greatly inhibited the increase in the hypothalamic NE, MHPG, and phosphorylation rates of TH. Additionally, postacupuncture infusion of NE into the PVN significantly attenuated the inhibitory effects of acupuncture at ST36 on the oversecretion of plasma corticosterone during EW. These results suggest that acupuncture at ST36 inhibits EW-induced hyperactivation of the hypothalamic NEergic system to produce therapeutic effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis.

Characterization of trnk-matk Gene in Potato Plastid

Jung, M 한국식물조직배양학회 1998 식물생명공학회지 Vol.25 No.6

Point interpolation method based on local residual formulation using radial basis functions

Liu, G.R.,Yan, L.,Wang, J.G.,Gu, Y.T. Techno-Press 2002 Structural Engineering and Mechanics, An Int'l Jou Vol.14 No.6

A local radial point interpolation method (LRPIM) based on local residual formulation is presented and applied to solid mechanics in this paper. In LRPIM, the trial function is constructed by the radial point interpolation method (PIM) and establishes discrete equations through a local residual formulation, which can be carried out nodes by nodes. Therefore, element connectivity for trial function and background mesh for integration is not necessary. Radial PIM is used for interpolation so that singularity in polynomial PIM may be avoided. Essential boundary conditions can be imposed by a straightforward and effective manner due to its Delta properties. Moreover, the approximation quality of the radial PIM is evaluated by the surface fitting of given functions. Numerical performance for this LRPIM method is further studied through several numerical examples of solid mechanics.

Genetic Diversity and Origin of Chinese Domestic Goats Revealed by Complete mtDNA D-loop Sequence Variation

Liu, R.Y.,Lei, C.Z.,Liu, S.H.,Yang, G.S. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2007 Animal Bioscience Vol.20 No.2

China has numerous native domestic goat breeds, but so far there has been no extensive study on genetic diversity, population demographic history, and origin of Chinese goats. To determine the origin and genetic diversity of Chinese goats, we analyzed the complete mtDNA D-loop sequences of 183 goats from 13 breeds. The haplotype diversity value found in each breed ranged from 0.9333 to 1.0000. The nucleotide diversity value ranged from 0.006337 to 0.025194. Our results showed that there were four mtDNA lineages (A, B, C and D), in which lineage A was predominant, lineage B was moderate, and lineages C and D were at low frequencies. Lineages C and D were observed only in the Tibetan breed. The results revealed multiple maternal origins of Chinese domestic goats. There was weaker geographical structuring in the 13 Chinese goat populations, which suggested that there existed high gene flow among goat populations caused by the extensive transportation of goats in the course of history.

Correlations among Shearing Force, Morphological Characteristic, Chemical Composition, and In situ Digestibility of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) Stem

Liu, L.,Yang, Z.B.,Yang, W.R.,Jiang, S.Z.,Zhang, G.G. Asian Australasian Association of Animal Productio 2009 Animal Bioscience Vol.22 No.4

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L) is a high-quality forage for ruminants and the main stem is the dominant morphological component contributing to the forage nutritive value in mature alfalfa forage. Shearing force, a fracturing property of plant stem, is an important indictor of forage value. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of morphological characteristic on shearing force, the relationship between shearing force and chemical composition, and the relationship between shearing force and in situ digestibility of alfalfa stem. The results showed that linear density (weight per unit length of stem) was more important than chemical composition in affecting shearing force. There was a positive relationship between lignin content and shearing force (r = 0.78). Correlations were not found between shearing force and other chemical components such as neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), cellulose and hemicelluloses. In situ digestibility (of dry matter and NDF) was related to shearing force. A negative correlation was found between shearing force and dry matter (DM) digestibility (r = -0.70), and there was also a negative correlation between shearing force and NDF digestibility (r = -0.87). When shearing force was standardized for stem diameter or stem linear density, the relationship between shearing force and digestibility was consistent regardless of stem diameter and stem linear density. Shearing force was significantly correlated with lignin content and in situ digestibility (of DM and NDF), and was a more direct indicator for estimating forage nutritive value related to animal performance, so it can be used to predict the forage value of alfalfa.

Annealing Dependence of Solution-Processed Ultra-Thin ZrOx Films for Gate Dielectric Applications.

Liu, G X,Liu, A,Meng, Y,Shan, F K,Shin, B C,Lee, W J,Cho, C R American Scientific Publishers 2015 Journal of nanoscience and nanotechnology Vol.15 No.3

<P>Ultra-thin ZrOx thin films on Si substrates were prepared by sol-gel technique and processed with different methods (baked on hot plate at 150 °C, annealed at 500 °C in furnace, and photo-annealed under UV light). The decomposition of the organic groups and the formation of Zr-O bonding in the ZrOx thin films were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. It is found that the ZrOx thin film annealed under UV light shows decent characteristics, including an ultra-small surface roughness, a low leakage current density of 10(-9) A/cm2 at 1 MV/cm, a large breakdown electric field of 9.5 MV/cm, and a large areal capacitance of 775 nF/cm2.</P>