Exploring the Fecal Microbial Composition and Metagenomic Functional Capacities Associated With Feed Efficiency in Commercial DLY Pigs

Gut microbiota has indispensable roles in nutrient digestion and energy harvesting, especially in processing the indigestible components of dietary polysaccharides. Searching for the microbial taxa and functional capacity of the gut microbiome associated with feed efficiency (FE) can provide important knowledge to increase profitability and sustainability of the swine industry. In the current study, we performed a comparative analysis of the fecal microbiota in 50 commercial Duroc × (Landrace × Yorkshire) (DLY) pigs with polarizing FE using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. There was a different microbial community structure in the fecal microbiota of pigs with different FE. Random forest analysis identified 24 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) as potential biomarkers to improve swine FE. Multiple comparison analysis detected 8 OTUs with a significant difference or tendency toward a difference between high- and low-FE pigs (P < 0.01, q < 0.1). The high-FE pigs had a greater abundance of OTUs that were from the Lachnospiraceae and Prevotellaceae families and the Escherichia-Shigella and Streptococcus genera than low-FE pigs. A sub-species Streptococcus gallolyticus subsp. gallolyticus could be an important candidate for improving FE. The functional capacity analysis found 18 KEGG pathways and CAZy EC activities that were different between high- and low-FE pigs. The fecal microbiota in high FE pigs have greater functional capacity to degrade dietary cellulose, polysaccharides, and protein and may have a greater abundance of microbes that can promote intestinal health. These results provided insights for improving porcine FE through modulating the gut microbiome

Spatial inequity in access to healthcare facilities at a county level in a developing country: a case study of Deqing County, Zhejiang, China

Background The inequities in healthcare services between regions, urban and rural, age groups and diverse income groups have been growing rapidly in China. Equal access to basic medical and healthcare services has been recognized as “a basic right of the people” by Chinese government. Spatial accessibility to healthcare facilities has received huge attention in Chinese case studies but been less studied particularly at a county level due to limited availability of high-resolution spatial data. This study is focused on measuring spatial accessibility to healthcare facilities in Deqing County. The spatial inequity between the urban (town) and rural is assessed and three scenarios are designed and built to examine which scenario is instrumental for better reducing the spatial inequity. Methods This study utilizes highway network data, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), location of hospitals and clinics, 2010 census data at the finest level – village committee, residential building footprint and building height. Areal weighting method is used to disaggregate population data from village committee level to residential building cell level. Least cost path analysis is applied to calculate the travel time from each building cell to its closest healthcare facility. Then an integral accessibility will be calculated through weighting the travel time to the closest facility between three levels. The spatial inequity in healthcare accessibility between the town and rural areas is examined based on the coverages of areas and populations. The same method is used to compare three scenarios aimed at reducing such spatial inequity – relocation of hospitals, updates of weighting values, and the combination of both. Results 50.03 % of residents can reach a county hospital within 15 min by driving, 95.77 % and 100 % within 30 and 60 min respectively. 55.14 % of residents can reach a town hospital within 5 min, 98.04 % and 100 % within 15 and 30 min respectively. 57.86 % of residential building areas can reach a village clinic within 5 min, 92.65 % and 99.22 % within 10 and 15 min. After weighting the travel time between the three-level facilities, 30.87 % of residents can reach a facility within 5 min, 80.46 %% and 99.88 % within 15 and 30 min respectively. Conclusions The healthcare accessibility pattern of Deqing County has exhibited spatial inequity between the town and rural areas, with the best accessibility in the capital of the county and poorest in the West of the county. There is a high negative correlation between population ageing and healthcare accessibility. Allocation of more advanced medical and healthcare equipment and highly skillful doctors and nurses to village clinics will be an efficient means of reducing the spatial inequity and further consolidating the national medical security system. GIS (Geographical Information Systems) methods have proven successful method of providing quantitative evidence for policy analysis although the data sets and methods could be further improved

Cadmium accumulation, subcellular distribution and chemical fractionation in hydroponically grown Sesuvium portulacastrum [Aizoaceae].

Sesuvium portulacastrum is a well-known halophyte with considerable Cd accumulation and tolerance under high Cd stress. This species is also considered as a good candidate of Cd phytoremediation in the polluted soils. However, the mechanism of Cd accumulation, distribution and fractionation in different body parts still remain unknown. Seedlings of Sesuvium portulacastrum were studied hydroponically under exposure to a range of Cd concentrations (50 μM or μmol/L to 600 μM or μmol/L) for 28 days to investigate the potential accumulation capability and tolerance mechanisms of this species. Cd accumulation in roots showed that the bio-concentration factor was > 10, suggesting a strong ability to absorb and accumulate Cd. Cd fractionation in the aboveground parts showed the following order of distribution: soluble fraction > cell wall > organelle > cell membrane. In roots, soluble fraction was mostly predominant than other fractions. Cd speciation in leaves and stems was mainly contained of sodium chloride and deionised water extracted forms, suggesting a strong binding ability with pectin and protein as well as with organic acids. In the roots, inorganic form of Cd was dominant than other forms of Cd. It could be suggested that sodium chloride, deionised water and inorganic contained form of Cd are mainly responsible for the adaption of this plant in the Cd stress environment and alleviating Cd toxicity

Temporal and Spatial Coupling Characteristics of Tourism and Urbanization with Mechanism of High-Quality Development in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration, China

The Chinese economy has entered the phase of high-quality development. Urbanization is an important driving factor in promoting the domestic economic cycle, while tourism is an emerging force in the development of urbanization. The convergence of these two factors will contribute to the high-quality development of regional economies. By constructing an evaluation index system of tourism development and urbanization level, 26 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration have been identified as the study area. The study has adopted the entropy method and the coupling coordination model to analyze the comprehensive development level of tourism and urbanization and the coupling coordination relationship between them from 2008 to 2018. The results show that the Yangtze River Delta presents a spatial pattern of orderly changes in the development of tourism, forming a spatial structure of “one pole and many centers”, with Shanghai as the core. In terms of spatial distribution, it generally presents the spatial trend characteristics of “high in the east and low in the west” in the east–west direction, and “protruding in the middle and lower at both ends” in the south–north direction. Coordination and interaction are steadily developing to a high level, with significant spatial dependence and spillover effects. Based on the research results, the study applies a new development vision to explore the coupling coordination high-quality development mechanism of tourism and urbanization in the Yangtze River Delta region; the corresponding policy recommendations are discussed

Temporal and Spatial Coupling Characteristics of Tourism and Urbanization with Mechanism of High-Quality Development in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration, China

The Chinese economy has entered the phase of high-quality development. Urbanization is an important driving factor in promoting the domestic economic cycle, while tourism is an emerging force in the development of urbanization. The convergence of these two factors will contribute to the high-quality development of regional economies. By constructing an evaluation index system of tourism development and urbanization level, 26 cities in the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration have been identified as the study area. The study has adopted the entropy method and the coupling coordination model to analyze the comprehensive development level of tourism and urbanization and the coupling coordination relationship between them from 2008 to 2018. The results show that the Yangtze River Delta presents a spatial pattern of orderly changes in the development of tourism, forming a spatial structure of “one pole and many centers”, with Shanghai as the core. In terms of spatial distribution, it generally presents the spatial trend characteristics of “high in the east and low in the west” in the east–west direction, and “protruding in the middle and lower at both ends” in the south–north direction. Coordination and interaction are steadily developing to a high level, with significant spatial dependence and spillover effects. Based on the research results, the study applies a new development vision to explore the coupling coordination high-quality development mechanism of tourism and urbanization in the Yangtze River Delta region; the corresponding policy recommendations are discussed

Nonlinear numerical simulation of bond performance between recycled concrete and corroded steel bars

In this article, the bond performance between recycled concrete and corroded steel bars is analyzed by the nonlinear numerical simulation. The result shows that the maximum bond strength between recycled concrete and steel bar decreases with the increase in steel bar corrosion rate; when the recycled concrete strength is large, the simulated maximum bond strength is in good agreement with the experimental maximum bond strength; when the recycled concrete strength is small, the simulated maximum bond strength is in relatively poor agreement with the experimental maximum bond strength, but there is still an error within the allowable range; the slip between recycled concrete and steel bar increases with the increase in steel bar corrosion rate; when the steel bar corrosion rate exceeded 5%, the bond strength decreases more rapidly; the maximum bond strength increases with the increase in specimen sizes under the same steel bar corrosion rate; the maximum bond strength decreases with the increase in steel bar diameter under the same steel bar corrosion rate