Determination of Fullerenes (C60/C70) from the Permian-Triassic Boundary in the Meishan Section of South China

Fullerenes (C 60 /C 70 ), clays and rocks near the Permian-Triassic (P/T) boundary in the Meishan section of South China are explored by means of comprehensive analytical techniques, including ultrasonic extraction with column purification, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of- flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF MS). The study confirms the existence of fullerenes toward the P/T event boundary and their absence in clays and limestones beyond the boundary. In particular, the white clay, known as the event boundary, contains fullerenes of 0.33 ppb, while the red material, as the first lamina fill of goethite and gypsum on the base of the white clay, contains fullerenes of 1.23 ppb, and the last lamina of 2.50 ppb. Significantly, distinct enrichment of fullerenes is coincident with the disappearance of fossil records of marine species (94%) just at the base of the white clay, implying that geological fullerenes would be one of temporal remnants led by the P/T catastrophic event. This work strongly supports that fullerenes would be one of significant records of the P/T catastrophic event but their origin remains to be studied further.

Sulfur Isotopes of Framboidal Pyrite in the Permian-Triassic Boundary Clay at Meishan Section

Pyrite framboids were found in the Permian-Triassic boundary at Meishan Section,while their sulfur isotopes were determined.The majority of framboids is less than 5μm in diameter,with some large-sized framboids.Also,euhedral gypsums were observed in the boundary clay.The authors suppose that most of the pyrite framboids formed just below the redox boundary and stopped growing after entering the lower water column.The result indicates that it was probably lower dysoxia condition in the temporal ocean.Moreover,the authors also presume that some pyrite was oxidated to sulfates accompanying the fluctuation of redox condition,which would probably be the origin of the negative sulfur isotopes of gypsum and CAS reported before.In addition,sulfur isotope of framboidal pyrite suggests that sulfur is originated from bacterial sulfate reduction in anoxic condition.Therefore, this study confirms that the ocean was widely anoxic during the Permian-Triassic transitional period. However,the redox condition in temporal ocean was probably not stable,with short-term fluctuations.

Characterization of Iron Grains near the P/T Boundary in the Meishan Section of China

The Meishan section of China has been confirmed as the ＂Global Stratotype Section and Point＂ of the P/T boundary. In the section, the authors found several types of iron grains, including pyrite, pure iron grains and goethite. From the research of macro minerals, it is easy to find that the grains rich in iron appear from the bottom of the event layer of the section. In other words, it is probably residue of the geochemical catastrophe of that time. Therefore, it is important to trace the source of these iron grains and their relationships, which probably provides evidence for volcanic eruption or impact-volcanoes and has directive significance to the crisis during the P/T transitional period. Through the study of the characterization and relationships of these iron grains, the authors make a preliminary discussion on the P/T mass extinction.

Suggestion of Meishan Section as GlobalStratotype Section and Point （GSSP） of Permian－Triassic Boundary

The Meishan Section of Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, China and the base of its Bed 27c,in which Hindeodus parvus first occurs, are recommended as the GSSP of Permian-Triassic boundary (PTB).The present paper introduces a description of the section. Biostratigraphic correlation with other famous sections shows the completeness of this section and justifies choice of H. Parvus as the index fossil. Chemostratigraphic investigation provides the δ￣13C excursion and the moderate but inconsistent Ir spike as auxiliary symbols for the PTB. This boundary is closely related to transgression,anoxia,volcanism,mass extinction and possible impact events which can be correlated with those in South China and other parts of the world .

CNV analysis of Meishan pig by nextgeneration sequencing and effects of AHR gene CNV on pig reproductive traits

Background:Reproductive performance of livestock is an economically important aspect of global food production.The Chinese Meishan pig is a prolific breed,with an average of three to five more piglets per litter than European breeds;however,the genetic basis for this difference is not well understood.Results:In this study,we investigated copy number variations(CNVs)of 32 Meishan pigs and 29 Duroc pigs by nextgeneration sequencing.A genome-wide analysis of 61 pigs revealed 12,668 copy number variable regions(CNVRs)that were further divided into three categories based on copy number(CN)of the whole population,i.e.,gain(n=7,638),and loss(n=5,030)CNVRs.We then compared Meishan and Duroc pigs and identified 17.17Mb of 6,387 CNVRs that only existing in Meishan pigs CNVRs that overlapped the reproduction-related gene encoding the aryl hydrocarbon receptor(AHR)gene.We found that normal AHR CN was more frequent than CN loss in four different pig breeds.An association analysis showed that AHR CN had a positive effect on litter size(P<0.05)and that a higher CN was associated with higher total number born(P<0.05),number born alive(P<0.05),number of weaned piglets,and birth weight.Conclusions:The present study provides comprehensive CNVRs for Meishan and Duroc pigs through large-scale population resequencing.Our results provide a supplement for the high-resolution map of copy number variation in the porcine genome and valuable information for the investigation of genomic structural variation underlying traits of interest in pig.In addition,the association results provide evidence for AHR as a candidate gene associated with reproductive traits that can be used as a genetic marker in pig breeding programs.

The Changhsingian Foraminiferal Fauna of the Meishan D Section, Zhejiang, China, and their Ecostratigraphic Implications

Samples were collected continuously and systematically from Beds 2 to 30 of the Meishan D section, and nearly 4,000 foraminiferal specimens were recognized. In total, 72 species （partially including undetermined species and conformis species） in 34 genera of foraminifers were identified. Twelve foraminiferal community zones were established from Beds 2 to 27 based on the abundance, dominance, diversity, and equitability of the foraminiferal fauna and a functional morphological analysis of the dominant and characteristic species. The habitat type indicated by each community zone and the sedimentary features were used to determine the paleo-water depths and the relative changes in sea level. We generated curves of both the habitat type and the hydrodynamic conditions, which together indicate the relative changes in the paleo-water depth and the substrate features in the studied area during the Changhsingian. This study discusses the possible relationship between the foraminiferal community zones and the sea-level changes based on a statistical analysis of the foraminiferal community zones.

High serum reproductive hormone levels at mid-pregnancy support Meishan pig prolificacy

Increasing prolificacy is an important aim in the pig industry. Regions associated with litter size have been revealed, but detailed molecular mechanisms are unclear. The Meishan pig is one of the most prolific breeds, with higher prolificacy than the Yorkshire pig, which exhibits high feeding efficiency and lean meat yield. The ovary is the key organ determining reproductive traits during pregnancy by synthesizing and secreting reproductive hormones essential for conceptus maintenance. In this comparative multi-omics study of the ovary transcriptome, proteome, and metabolome on day 49 of pregnancy, we aimed to identify genomic, proteomic, and metabolomic differences between the ovaries of Meishan and Yorkshire pigs to reveal potential molecular mechanisms conferring high prolificacy. Meishan pigs demonstrated general downregulation of steroid biosynthesis and butanoate metabolism in the ovary during mid-pregnancy at both transcriptome and proteome levels but exhibited higher serum cholesterol, estradiol, and progesterone levels than Yorkshire pigs. We also identified several single-nucleotide polymorphisms in the genes of the steroid hormone pathway associated with litter number, average birth weight, and total litter weight. Lower biosynthesis rates but elevated serum levels of reproductive hormones during mid-and late pregnancy are essential for the greater prolificacy of Meishan pigs.

Distribution and Geochemical Implication of Aromatic Hydrocarbons across the Meishan Permian-Triassic Boundary

Aromatic compounds extracted from sedimentary rocks can reflect environmental conditions, organic sources and maturity. The aromatics, identified in association with mass extinction in particular, would provide a signature assisting our understanding of the causes of the biotic crisis. Aromatic hydrocarbons were fractionated from the total lipid extracts of 37 samples taken from the PermianTriassic boundary （beds 23 to 34） of section B at Meishan （煤山）, Zhejiang （浙江） Province in South China. These aromatics were analyzed by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry （GC-MS）. Main compounds identified include naphthalene, phenanthrenes, fluorene, dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, fluoranthene, pyrene and some of their methyl homologues. The indices of methyl phenanthrene distribution fraction indicate the comparable maturity （within the oil window, 0.7%-1.0% of the mean vitfinite reflectance） of the organic matter throughout the whole profile analyzed. The ratio of dibenzothiophene to phenanthrene （DBT/PHN） varies generally at a comparable pace with lithology. Significantly, a gradual decrease of this ratio was observed within bed 24 limestone, which is probably due to the variation of sedimentary environment. This change is in line with the drop in the carbon isotope composition of carbonate, the loss of the Changhsingian reef ecosystem, and the decrease of cyanobacteria abundance within the bacteria population. The coincidence of these records suggests a close relation between the biotic crisis and marine environmental conditions, and these records clearly show the onset of the biotic crisis prior to event bed 25.

Alkane Biomarkers in Permian-Triassic Boundary Strata at Meishan Section, Changxing, Zhejiang Province

Meishan Section D in Changxing County, Zhejiang Province, China has been selected as the global stratotype of the Permian Triassic boundary and various studies have been done at the boundary, but the gas chromatographic mass spectrographic analysis of alkane biomarkers has not been investigated. This paper presents the results of a study of the biomarkers analyzed in a series of samples across the Permian Triassic boundary at both Meishan Section A and Section D. The results show that the overall concentration of alkane biomarkers in the Permian Triassic boundary strata is high in Bed 26 while it is low in Bed 27. A variety of biomarker parameters demonstrate that the main sources of organic matter in the sediment are algae and bacteria and that the depositional environment varied from weakly oxidizing to reducing during the studied interval.

Research on Modelling Digital Paper-cut Preservation

This paper studies the model of the digital preservation of paper-cut after analyzing the state-of-the-art of the preservation of intangible cultural heritage at home and abroad, focusing on paper-cutting in Hebei, China in a comprehensive approach of sociology, anthropology, folk art, folklore, communication, computer, and information science. Models, methods, and solutions for the preservation and retention of national and folk cultural heritage are proposed. A virtual multimedia interactive system framework of the digital preservation of national and folk cultural heritage is constructed. The standards of paper-cut digitization are studied. The main content of the paper involves： regulated data collection and recording of the scattered Chinese folk paper-cut works in Hebei; digitization, optimization, compression, classification, icon and pattern extraction, vectorization, and work analysis of the first-hand material. This paper also investigates the demonstration, dissemination, database construction, and retrieval of the classified material, icons, and patterns; the demonstration of the reconstruction and application of icon and pattern database; the design and development of an immersive virtual gaming platform of the multi-media scenes and production process of folk paper-cut.

Targeted myostatin loss-of-function mutation increases type Ⅱ muscle fibers in Meishan pigs

Myostatin(MSTN) is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle growth and development. The skeletal muscle in MSTN^(-/-)mice is significantly hypertrophied, with muscle fiber type II increasing significantly while muscle fiber type I decreasing.However, it is still not clear how the skeletal muscle types change in MSTN^(-/-)pigs, and how the mechanism for MSTN regulates fiber types, especially in large animals like pigs. This study conducted a comprehensive analysis of the composition of skeletal muscle fibers in MSTN^(-/-)pigs produced in our laboratory. It was observed that, compared with wild-type(WT) pigs, both the total mass of skeletal muscle and type IIb muscle fibers increased significantly(P<0.01),while the type I and type IIa muscle fibers decreased significantly(P<0.01), in MSTN^(-/-)Meishan pigs. In addition, to explore the influence of MSTN on muscle fiber type and its regulation mechanism in the embryonic stage, this study selected a few genes(Myf5, Mef2 d, MyoD and Six1) associated with muscle fiber type and validated their expression by quantitative RT-PCR. Herein, it was found that Myh7, Myh2, Myh4 and Myh1 can be detected in the skeletal muscle of pigs at 65 days of gestation(dg). Compared with WT pigs, in MSTN^(-/-)Meishan pigs, Myh7 decreased significantly(P<0.01), while Myh4(P<0.001) and Myh1(P<0.05) increased significantly. Meanwhile, the increased expression of Myf5(P<0.05), Mef2 d(P<0.01) and Six1(P<0.05) in MSTN^(-/-)Meishan pigs suggested that MSTN should regulate the directional development of muscle fiber types in the early stage of embryonic development. Thus, at the embryonic stage, the type II muscle fibers began to increase in MSTN^(-/-)pigs. These results can provide valuable information not only for pig meat quality improvement, but also for the study of human skeletal muscle development and disease treatment.

Paleomagnetic Polarity Research of Paleobiology Boundary(Bed27) of Meishan,Changxing,Zhejiang Province

The magnetostratigraphic sampling was carried out respectively in the inside part (14 cm away from the section surface along the bed) and outside part (5 cm away from the section surface along the bed) with no interval at the same bed (Bed 27) which the paleobiology boundary (PBB) of A and D sections lies in of Meishan, Changxing. This research shows that the deep samples suffered slighter secondary magnetization than the shallow ones did and in comparison with D section ’s samples, the samples of A section sustained slighter secondary magnetization. On the bases of the data, the secondary magnetization influence of which is relatively weak, this paper obtains the conclusion that the bed, in which the paleobiology boundary lies, lies within the reverse polarity subzone.

A survey of digital paper-cutting

Paper-cutting is one of the most fantastic Chinese folk arts. With the aid of computers, digital paper-cutting has become a popular topic in the field of NPR research. This paper will make a comprehensive survey of related references in four as- pects-image-based paper-cutting, paper-cutting based on computer graphics, paper architectures and paper-cutting animation and it shows that the imitation of the masters＇ artistic styles of paper-cutting will be the trend of future study.

Inheritance and Development of Fuyang Folk Paper-cut Art: A Case Study of “Cheng’s Paper-cut” Art

Intangible cultural heritage plays a prominent role in local cultural construction and tourism brand building. This paper took Fuyang as an example to expound the origin and development of Fuyang folk paper-cut art, analyzed its characteristics, and put forward some countermeasures and ways of inheritance and development, so as to promote the inheritance, protection and development of intangible cultural heritage.

Artistic Innovation of Famous Paper-cutting Artist Wang Xiaying

Paper-cutting is a traditional Chinese art,and Fuyang paper-cutting is a miracle of Chinese paper-cutting art.As Fuyang paper-cutting art is gradually promoted by artists during the historical inheritance,its traditional form has changed,a batch of new-style paper-cutting artworks have been created,Wang Xiaying is a leading figure in its inheritance.From the perspective of manifestation means and modeling language,this paper found that Wang Xiaying on the basis of inheriting traditional paper-cutting learned from other arts,applied innovative techniques to break through limitations in modeling,and realized the innovation of paper-cutting art.It was concluded that traditional paper-cutting arts could only achieve sustainable development by integrating with new elements.

Discussion of Subjects on Guangdong＇s Foshan Paper-cutting

Guangdong＇ s Foshan paper-cutting art is significantly related with the local folk culture and religion, with unique craflwork as well as rich subjects. In the present paper, the characteristics of subjects was analyzed in detail based on the relationship between Foshan papercutting and local folk religion, folk activities and folk cultural activities. It is suggested that subjects of Foshan paper-cutting is strongly affected by the coast and regional culture as well as widely affected by the coastal culture especially foreign culture. Foshan paper-cutting is the typical example for studying folk custom life of Lingnan area because of the rich subjects.

Meishan Totem Worship in Meishan Culture Context

The unique geographical environment and humanistic spirit of Meishan region gave birth to the Witchcraft exorcism cultur in Meishan,which has been passed down for thousands of years.The unique totem worship phenomenon of Meishan people adds a footnote to the interpretation of the culture.The witchcraft culture of Meishan is the“living fossil”of the study of Meishan culture,and the totem worship of Meishan is its external cultural representation,reflecting the folk customs,religious beliefs,ethnic information,and life forms of Meishan area.The totem worship phenomenon is closely related to the concept of“animism”of Meishan people.

Qiao Xiaoguang's paper-cut Art

Qiao Xiaoguang, a professor with the Central Academy of Fine Arts and director of the China Folk Paper-cut Research Society, recently held a solo exhibition at Beijing Century Art Gallery, showcasing some 30 new paper-cut works including "The Sun and the Old Man", "Auspicious Himalayas", "Bach’s Mass" and "Salute to Jorge Borges".

Art and Life of Manchu Paper-Cut Artist Ni Youzhi

The advice to“disclose the family business to no one”has remained in my mind for a long time.It influenced how I perceived the works of Ni Youzhi,a paper-cut artist,which are shrouded in mystery and marked with her family’s hue.I certainly feel proud and understand the sense of mission for this inheritance that has been passed down from generation to generation[2].However,her Manchu paper-cut changed dramatically over time despite my best efforts to preserve this“heirloom”[3].Looking back on her journey of creation,her trajectory of inheritance,creation,transformation,and regression was marked clearly.

Analysis of Northern regional folk culture on the Paper-cutart

Northern regional folk culture and art is colorful, bright vibrant, showing a flourishing pomp, The paper-cut art is one of the essential of the Pearl.The following article is based on the premise of the relationship between the North and the surrounding area customs and cultural heritage of folk art paper-cut, carrys on the review and analysis, focuses on northern folk paper-cut of origin, schools,, characteristics and the differences between the North and South.