Transcriptomic analysis of ovarian follicles uncovers the crucial genes relevant to follicle selection and preovulatory hierarchy in hens.

Follicle selection and preovulatory hierarchy of hen ovaries were important stages of follicle development and crucially determining egg-laying performance. The selected follicles with a higher expression level of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (FSHR) mRNA that facilitates response to FSH, and rapidly develops into preovulatory follicles with distinctive characteristics of granulosa cells (GCs) proliferation and differentiation. Identification of the key genes involved in these developmental events is helpful for elucidation of the molecular mechanism underlying egg-laying traits in chicken and other domestic fowl.

Numerical investigation of the influence of banded sand ditches on water infiltration in fine-textured soil.

Enhancing rainwater infiltration is important to reduce the risk of urban waterlogging and improve the utilization rate of urban rainwater resources. Using the HYDRUS model, a mathematical model of soil water movement under a banded sand ditch pattern (the vertical excavation of a deep trench with heavy soil and filled with light soil) was created. Forty-six scenarios were designed to examine effects of sand ditch soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (K), original homogenous fine-textured soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (K), sand ditch width (W), spacing (S), and depth (D) on the soil infiltration rate (i).

[Geochemical Characteristics and Genesis Analyses of High-arsenic Groundwater in the Pearl River Delta].

To determine the main factors affecting the migration, enrichment, and sources of arsenic in the shallow groundwater of the Pearl River Delta (PRD), clustering analysis was used to partition the study area and then analyze the abnormal distribution of arsenic and groundwater storage environment in each part area based on the data obtained from the investigation of groundwater pollution in the PRD region. The results showed, in the study area, arsenic was mainly represented by As(Ⅲ), and its concentration ranged from under the detection limit to 560 μg·L. High-arsenic groundwater was mainly distributed in the plain area covered by Quaternary loose sediment, with the Shunde District in Foshan City having the highest, followed by Zhongshan City and central Guangzhou.

[Comparison of Identification Methods of Main Component Hydrochemical Anomalies in Groundwater: A Case Study of Liujiang Basin].

Identification of chemical composition anomalies in groundwater is an important basis for establishing groundwater background values and quantifying the degree of influence of human activities. The main component anomaly identification by five kinds of hydrochemical diagrams has achieved good results in the past. However, this method is too complex to be used widely.