Abstract The aims of this study were to analyze the coding region sequence of the SIRT5 gene and to explore the association of SIRT5 gene expression with meat quality traits in the F1 generation of wild boar × Kele pigs (Yeke F1). In this study, two SNPs (g.5753 A > G, g.16916 A > G) were found in the CDS region of the SIRT5 that could affect meat quality. SIRT5 was an unstable hydrophilic protein with a highly conservative structure of the SIR2 functional domain. The expression of SIRT5 in subcutaneous fat was significantly higher than that of the longissimus dorsi muscle from Yeke F1 pigs (P < 0.01). The expression level of SIRT5 negatively correlated with meat color (P < 0.01) and positively correlated with the pH1 (P < 0.05) in longissimus dorsi muscle. Expression of SIRT5 was positively correlated with meat tenderness, muscle moisture, heptadecanoic acid, elmintic acid and methyl nervonate (P < 0.01); however, it was negatively correlated with intramuscular fat content, myristic acid, stearic acid and trans linoleic acid (P < 0.05) in subcutaneous fat. This study indicated that SIRT5 could be used as a candidate gene for regulating intramuscular fat content and flavor indexes of Yeke F1 pigs.

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of hybrid transthoracic periventricular device closure of ventricular septal defects (VSDs) in a single center. Methods: All patients who underwent hybrid transthoracic periventricular device closure of VSDs between January 2018 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The preoperative, operative and postoperative findings and clinical follow-ups were reviewed. Results: A total of 59 patients underwent the procedure. Transesophageal echocardiographic guidance was used in all procedures. The procedure was successful in 57 procedures (97%). The procedures of two patients were changed to open-heart surgery during the same intervention due to severe aortic insufficiency (the device was not deployed) and significant residual shunt after device deployment. One major complication (1.7%) was observed after the procedure. The patient’s device was dislodged within 12 hours after the procedure, and this patient underwent device extraction and VSD patch closure due to significant residual shunt. Eight (14%) minor complications were observed after the procedure, and three of them persisted during follow-up. Three of these eight complications were incomplete right bundle branch block, one of which resolved during follow-up; two were mild residual shunts, one of which resolved during follow-up; two were mild new-onset tricuspid valve insufficiencies; and one was mild new-onset mitral valve insufficiency; all valvular insufficiencies were resolved during follow-up. Conclusions: Hybrid transthoracic periventricular device closure of VSD seems to be a good alternative approach due to its procedural success and low risk rates. The best advantage of the procedure is the possibility of switching to open-heart surgery, if necessary.

Abstract Numerous laboratory tests on unsaturated soils revealed complex volume-change response to reduction of soil suction, resulting in early development of state surface approaches that incorporate soil expansion or collapse due to wetting under load. Nonetheless, expansive and collapsible soils are often viewed separately in research and practice, resulting in development of numerous constitutive models specific to the direction of volume change resulting from suction decrease. In addition, several elastoplastic models, developed primarily for collapse or expansion, are modified by add-on, such as multiple yield curves/surfaces, to accommodate a broader range of soil response. Current tendency to think of unsaturated soils as either expansive or collapsible (or, sometimes, stable), has likely contributed to lack of development of a unified approach to unsaturated soil volume change. In this paper, common research and practice approaches to volume change of unsaturated soils are reviewed within a simple macro-level elastoplastic framework, the Modified State Surface Approach (MSSA). The MSSA emerges as a unifying approach that accommodates complex volume change response of unsaturated soil, whether the soil exhibits collapse, expansion, or both. Suggestions are made for minor adjustments to existing constitutive models from this review, typically resulting in simplification and/or benefit to some of the most-used constitutive models for unsaturated soil volume change. In the review of practice-based approaches, the surrogate path method (SPM), an oedometer/suction-based approach, is demonstrated to be consistent with the MSSA framework, broadly applicable for use with expansive and collapsible soils, and yielding results consistent with measured field stress-path soil response.

ABSTRACT Film mulching is an effective water-saving and yield-increasing measure for potato production in Northwest China. However, the response mechanism of microbial communities to mulching films in the soil is still unclear. In this study, polyethylene film mulching (PM), biodegradable film mulching (BM), liquid film mulching (LM), and non-mulching (NM) were applied on the drip-irrigated soil to investigate the effects of mulching films on soil bacterial and fungal communities through DNA sequencing, Pearson correlation analysis, and redundancy analysis. The results showed that LM treatment significantly increased the contents of soil mineral N (SMN), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) (p<0.05) in comparison with NM. The soil treated with LM presented high bacterial OTUs (operational taxonomic units), Chao1, ACE, and Shannon indices; however, the same indexes of fungi were low in LM and BM treatments. At the phylum level, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Chloroflexi were dominant bacterial communities. The LM treatment increased the OTUs of Proteobacteria ; PM treatment increased the OTUs of Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi. Ascomycota was the dominant fungal community, which were decreased in soil under mulching films. In terms of soil properties, DON was closely correlated (p<0.05) with the microbial OTUs, Chao1, and ACE indices. The DOC and SWC (soil water content) contributed 51.2 % to the change of bacterial structure; however, the fungal structure was less sensitive to the variation of soil properties. Our results indicate that liquid film mulching favors increasing the diversity and abundance of dominant bacterial species, which were associated with the variation of soil properties.

ABSTRACT In sandy areas of Northern Shaanxi, after potato harvest, there are large areas of soil exposed to wind erosion from winter to spring, leading to degradation of soil quality. Planting cover crops in fallow fields is considered effective to improve soil biological properties; however, there is scarce study on the effect of winter cover crops on fallow soils in this region. In the study lasting from 2017 to 2019, four winter cover crops, i.e., alfalfa (AC), sweetclover (SC), winter wheat (WC), and ryegrass (RC), as well as bare land (CK), were used to study the effect of winter cover crops on soil microbial characteristics. The experiment showed that the soils in AC treatment had the highest values of microbial biomass N (MBN) content, dehydrogenase and urease activities, bacteria colonies, and Shannon and Richness indices. The soils in SC treatment had the maximum values of microbial biomass C (MBC) content, protease activity, fungi colonies, and Simpson index. Under AC and SC treatments, microbial communities in soil showed the highest percentage of carbon source utilization for amino acids, carbohydrates, and amines. Alfalfa and sweetclover as cover crops were helpful to improve the activity and diversity of soil microorganisms, exerting a positive effect on soil quality. This finding is of great significance for improving the methods of mitigating soil degradation in winter fallow fields of Northern Shaanxi, China.

SUMMARY: Palatal rugae is an irregular soft tissue, which is located in the front third of the hard palate, and is asymmetrically distributed from the middle suture to the sides. The difference, stability and extensive characteristics of palatal rugae morphology have gradually make it a characteristic indicator of forensic identification. However, a mature digital palatal rugae identification system has not yet been established at present. Feature extraction is the premise of palatal rugae image recognition. In order to obtain palatal rugae feature information in all directions and improve the reliability of forensic identification, it is necessary to collect palatal rugae images from a plurality of different angles. When the collected images are sent to the recognition system, the diversity of angles will often cause problems such as error recognition. If the tilted images are not rotated properly, it will make the forensic identification face many difficulties. To solve the problem of image skew caused by the diversity of acquisition angle, an algorithm based on orientation vector to correct the tilted palatal rugae images was proposed in this paper. Firstly, the criteria for standard palatal rugae image and the selection rules for feature points were set; Secondly, characterizing feature points according to the rules, and fitting two lines and find their direction vector; Finally, to obtain the corrected images, the tilted images were rotated by the angle determined by the two direction vectors. Simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can correct the tilted palatal rugae images collected from different angles and has strong robustness.

RESUMEN: Las rugas palatinas son tejidos blandos irregulares, que se ubican en el tercio frontal del paladar duro y se distribuyen asimétricamente desde la sutura mediana hacia los lados. La diferencia, la estabilidad y las características extensivas de la morfología de las rugas palatinas la han convertido gradualmente en un indicador característico de la identificación forense. Sin embargo, un sistema de identificación de rugas palatinas digitales maduras todavía no se ha establecido en la actualidad. La extracción de características es la premisa del reconocimiento de imágenes de las rugas palatinas. Para obtener información sobre las características de las rugas palatinas en todas las direcciones, y mejorar la confiabilidad de la identificación forense, es necesario recopilar imágenes de las rugas palatinas desde una pluralidad de ángulos diferentes. Cuando las imágenes recogidas se envían al sistema de reconocimiento, la diversidad de ángulos a menudo causará problemas como el reconocimiento de errores. Si las imágenes inclinadas no se giran correctamente, la identificación forense se enfrentará a muchas dificultades. Para resolver el problema del sesgo de la imagen causado por la diversidad del ángulo de adquisición, en este documento se propuso un algoritmo basado en el vector de orientación para corregir las imágenes de las arrugas palatinas inclinadas. En primer lugar, se establecieron los criterios para la imagen de las rugas palatinas estándar, y las reglas de selección para los puntos de características. En segundo lugar, se determinaron puntos de características según las reglas, y se ajustaron dos líneas y encontrar la dirección del vector. Finalmente, para obtener las imágenes corregidas, las imágenes inclinadas se giraron según el ángulo determinado por la dirección de dos vectores. Los resultados de la simulación muestran que el algoritmo propuesto puede corregir las imágenes de rugas palatinas inclinadas recopiladas desde diferentes ángulos y tiene una gran robustez.