This experiment was conducted to compare carcass and meat quality traits, and muscle fibre characteristics in the longissimus muscle of the Landrace [an European pig breed] and the Lantang [a Chinese native pig breed] at the ages of 60, 90 and 150 days. The characteristics of muscle fibres were determined by real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and histological methods (ATPase and succinodehydrogenase, SDH). A significant age difference was observed in loin eye area (LEA), backfat thickness (BF), pH 45 min , pH 24 h , drip loss, moisture, ash, number percentages of αR and αW fibres, muscle fibre cross-sectional area and mRNA expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC)-slow and MyHC-IIb. The Lantang showed a higher intramuscular fat (IMF) content and BF than the Landrace, while the Landrace exhibited a higher LEA and ash content than the Lantang. Both breeds exhibited similar developments in muscle fibre composition, and there were small differences in muscle fibre composition and muscle fibre cross-sectional area. However, Landrace pigs showed a significantly higher mRNA relative expression of MyHC-IIb. These results suggested that age was an important factor in the variation of carcass, meat quality traits and characteristics of muscle fibres. The main differences between the breeds at the same age were LEA, BF, IMF and ash contents, and fast glycolytic MyHC-IIb in the mRNA level.

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The base level during the deposition of Jurassic in the Qiangtang Basin shows a complete cycle from rising to falling. The base level change is closely connected with tectonic evolution of the basin, especially connected with Bangonghu-Nujiang ocean evolution process in the formation and evolution of the basin. It is also affected by climate. The Jurassic strata correspond to a long-term base level cycle sequence. The sequence is in fact a non-complete symmetrical cycle, consisting of rising hemicycle and falling hemicycle. It can be divided into 6 intermediate-term base level cycle sequences, including 2 carbonate sequences, 3 mixture sedimentary sequences of carbonate and clastic rocks and one clastic sedimentary sequence. Depositional filling characteristics during base level change show that Bangonghu-Nujiang ocean spreads in Toarcian-Bajocian ages, and is at the height of spreading of Bangonghu-Nujiang ocean in Bathonian-Oxfordian ages. In that process, sea area became smaller because of the dry climate. Eventually, marine depositional filling is ended with the subduction and collision of Bangonghu-Nujiang ocean.

Autogenic processes are widely found in various sedimentary systems and they play an important role in the depositional evolution and corresponding sedimentary architecture. However, autogenic processes are often affected by changing allogenic factors and are difficult to be identified and analyzed from modern and ancient records. Through the flume tank experiment under constant boundary conditions, the depositional process, evolution principles, and the sedimentary architecture of a river-dominated delta was presented, and a corresponding sedimentary architecture model was constructed. The evolution of river-dominated delta controlled only by autogenic process is obviously periodic, and each autogenic cycle can be divided into an initial progradational stage, a middle retrogratational stage, and a late aggradational–progradational stage. In the initial progradational stage, one feeder channel incised into the delta plain, mouth bar(s) was formed in front of the channel mouth, and small-scale crevasse splays were formed on the delta plain. In the middle retrogradational stage, the feeder channel was blocked by the mouth bar(s) which grew out of water at the end of the initial stage, and a set of large-scale distributary splay complexes were formed on the delta plain. These distributary splay complexes were retrogradationally overlapped due to the continuous migration of the bifurcation point of the feeder channel. In the late aggradational–progradational stage, the feeder channel branched into several radial distributary channels, overlapped distributary channels were formed on the delta plain, and terminal lobe complexes were formed at the end of distributary channels. The three sedimentary layers formed in the three stages constituted an autogenic succession. The experimental delta consisted of six autogenic depositional successions. Dynamic allocation of accommodation space and the following adaptive sediments filling were the two main driving factors of the autogenic evolution of deltas.