Giardia duodenalis is a common intestinal protozoan that can cause diarrhea and intestinal disease in animals and in humans. However, the prevalence and assemblages of G. duodenalis in pigs from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have not been reported. In this study, a total of 724 fecal samples (201 from nursery pigs, 183 from piglets, 175 from breeding pigs, and 165 from fattening pigs) were obtained in four areas of the region (Nanning, Yulin, Hezhou, and Guigang). The gene of the small subunit ribosomal RNA ( SSU rRNA ) of G. duodenalis was amplified by nested PCR. The results show that the prevalence of G. duodenalis in pigs was 3.59% (26/724), of which 14 samples belonged to assemblage A (53.85%) and 12 samples belonged to assemblage E (46.15%). The infection rates of G. duodenalis in Hezhou, Yulin, Nanning, and Guigang were 0%, 0.7%, 10.8% and 1.1%, respectively ( χ 2 = 45.616, p < 0.01); whereas 5.1% of breeding pigs, 6.0% of piglets, 2.4% of fattening pigs, and 1.0% of nursery pigs were infected with G. duodenalis ( χ 2 = 8.874, p < 0.05) . The SSU rRNA -positive samples were amplified by PCR based on the β-giardin ( bg ), glutamate dehydrogenase ( gdh ), and triphosphate isomerase ( tpi ) genes. Ten, eight and seven positive samples were detected, respectively. Based on phylogenetic analysis of the three genetic loci sequences, a multilocus genotyping A1 was found. The findings of this study provide basic data for the development of prevention and control of G. duodenalis infections in pigs and humans in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
The aim of voltage control of magnetism is to reduce the power consumption of spintronic devices. For a spin valve, the relative magnetic orientation for the two ferromagnetic layers is a key factor determining the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio. However, achieving full voltage manipulation of the magnetization directions between parallel and antiparallel states is a significant challenge. Here, we demonstrate that by utilizing two exchange-biased Co/IrMn bilayers with opposite pinning directions and with ferromagnetic interlayer coupling between the two Co layers, the magnetization alignment of the two Co layers of a spin valve can be switched between antiparallel and nearly parallel states by voltage-induced strain, leading to a full voltage control of GMR in a repeatable manner. The magnetization rotating processes for the two Co layers under different voltages can be clearly demonstrated by simulations based on the Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert equation. This work provides valuable references for the development of full voltage-controlled spintronic devices with low energy consumption.
Background. Saccharum officinarum is the most significant resource for sugar and high-yield genes in sugarcane breeding programs. However, the unknown information of evolution and genome organization remain largely in the sugarcane, which has limited progress in sugarcane breeding. Retrotransposons occupy a large proportion of the plant genome; therefore, characterization of Ty1- copia retrotransposons will improve understanding of the evolution and organization of plant genomes. Methods. The present study isolated conserved domains of Ty1- copia retrotransposon-encoded reverse transcriptase genes from S. officinarum to characterize their phylogenetic diversity, genomic abundance, and chromosomal distribution. Results. In total, 42 Ty1- copia reverse transcriptase sequences with 35-100% similarity and high levels of heterogeneity were obtained. Of them, 11 (26%) were disrupted by stop codons and/or frameshift mutations. Phylogenetic analysis revealed these sequences could be split into four distinct evolutionary lineages (Tork/TAR, Tork/Angela, Sire/Maximus, and Retrofit/Ale). Dot blot analysis showed that Ty1- copia retrotransposons represent a significant portion of the S. officinarum genome, with copy numbers as high as 1.7 × 10 5 . Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that Ty1- copia retrotransposons were dispersed within heterochromatic regions among all S. officinarum chromosomes, with around 30 obvious signals clustering in terminal regions. However, Ty1- copia retrotransposons were not found in nucleolar organizing regions of 45S rDNA. Discussion. These results serve to enhance our understanding of the chromosomal distribution and evolution of the S. officinarum genome as well as promote possible utilization of retrotransposons in sugarcane breeding programs.
In this paper, four binary hard sphere crystals were numerically constructed by discrete element method (DEM) through different packing modes under three-dimensional (3D) mechanical vibration. For each crystal, a modified Voronoi tessellation method (called radical tessellation) was utilized to quantitatively investigate the topological and metrical properties of radical polyhedra (RPs). The topological properties such as the number of faces, edges, vertices per RP and the number of edges per RP face as well as the metrical properties such as perimeter, surface area, volume, and relative pore size per RP were systematically characterized and compared. Meanwhile, the mechanism of the binary hard sphere crystallization was also investigated. The results show that the packing sequence and pattern of the large spheres can determine the structure of the binary hard sphere crystal. The RP structures and their metrical and topological properties of the four binary hard sphere crystals (even the packing density of the two crystals is the same) are quite different. Each property can clearly reflect the specific characteristics of the corresponding binary hard sphere crystalline structure. The obtained quantitative results would be useful for the deep understanding of the structure and resultant properties of binary hard sphere crystals.
This study focuses on the thermal performance properties and mechanism by which polyurethane Microencapsulated phase-change materials (MEPCMs) modify bitumen. The MEPCMs were prepared via interfacial polymerization, with butyl stearate as the core material and polyurethane as the shell material. Bitumen modified by MEPCMs was prepared using a high-speed shearing method. The modification mechanism was investigated using various microscopic and macroscopic techniques, including Atomic force microscopy (AFM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and Fluorescence microscope (FM) tests. The research results show that MEPCMs can improve the rheological properties, anti-aging properties, and temperature sensitivity of the modified bitumen. FTIR analysis indicates that there are no chemical reactions between MEPCMs and bitumen, while AFM topography shows the appearance of smaller "bee structures" on the surface of MEPCMs-modified bitumen. Additionally, the research reveals that MEPCMs can be evenly distributed in the base bitumen. Finally, the maximum temperature difference between the control bitumen and 3% MEPCMs-modified bitumen is 13.9 ℃.