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Additional file 1: Table S1. Ingredients and nutrient composition of the total mixed ration containing alfalfa silage (AS) and mulberry leaf silage (MS) as the main forage. Table S2. Alpha diversity indices of rumen bacteria in lambs fed alfalfa silage (AS) and mulberry leaf silage (MS) based diets.

Changes in agronomic characters and the profile of various endogenous phytohormones during tuber development were studied in Dioscorea opposite (Chinese yam) cv. Guihuai 16. Tuber development exhibited a sigmoidal growth pattern according to the changes in tuber agronomic characters. The growth cycle of yam tuber could be divided into three stages: initiation stage, enlargement stage, and maturation stage. Moreover, the enlargement stage could be separated into three phases—slow growth phase, rapid growth phase, and late growth phase. Endogenous changes in phytohormones were associated with developmental changes in the tubers. The pulses of bioactive gibberellins (such as GA3 and GA4) were measured in tubers. The highest contents of GA3 and GA4 were reached 90 days after field planting, corresponding to the beginning of the rapid growth phase of tuber enlargement. Changes in trans-zeatin (tZ), jasmonic acid (JA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), and abscisic acid (ABA) levels were also observed, and seemed to be related to tuber enlargement at different phases. Continuous increases in JA and tZ contents accompanied tuber enlargement. Transient pulses of both IAA and ABA contents were also observed at the start of tuber rapid growth. Additionally, a second peak level of IAA was detected at the tuber maturation stage. These results suggest GAs play a key role at the beginning of the tuber rapid growth stage, and there is a close relationship between whole tuber enlargement and the contents of JA and tZ. Moreover, it is suggested that IAA and ABA also may be linked to the beginning of tuber rapid growth, and IAA also seems to be correlated to late tuber maturation.

Farming herdsmen, sheep dealers, and veterinarians are increasingly interested in continuously monitoring sheep basic physiological characteristics (such as the heart rate and skin temperature) outside the laboratory environment, with the aim of identifying the physiological links between stress, uncomfortable, excitement, and other pathological states. This paper proposes a non-invasive Wearable Stress Monitoring System (WSMS) with PhotoPlethysmoGram (PPG), Infrared Temperature Measurement (ITM), and Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) that aimed to remotely and continuously monitor the stress signs of sheep during transportation. The purpose of this study was implemented by following the multi-dimensional sensing platform to identify more pressure information. The designed WSMS showed sufficient robustness in recording and transmitting sensing data of physiology and environment during transport. The non-contact and non-destructive monitoring method that was proposed in this paper was helpful in minimizing the effects of sheep stress load.

Purpose: To evaluate the effect of JUNCAO-cultivated Ganoderma lucidum spent mushroom substratehot water extract (SMSG-HWE) on murine immunity. Methods: Five groups of mice (n = 10) received water with 0.00, 0.14, 0.28, 0.84, or 1.68 g/kg of SWSG-HWE, respectively, orally for 30 days. Various biochemical parameters of serum and tissues, including spleen and thymus indices, were determined were determined for the mice Results: The following markers were significantly higher in the 0.84 g/kg SMSG-HWE group than in the control group (all p < 0.05): splenic lymphocyte proliferation, a marker of cell-mediate immunity; dinitrofluorobenzene-induced delayed hypersensitivity; and the number of haemolytic plaque-forming cells, as a marker of humoral immunity. Phagocytic rate, which evaluates mononuclear-macrophage function as a marker of innate immunity, was significantly higher in both the 0.84 g/kg HWE and 1.68 g/kg SWSG-HWE groups, while phagocytic index was significantly higher in the 0.28 g/kg SWSG-HWE group, compared to the control group (all p < 0.05). Natural killer cell activity also was significantly enhanced in the 0.84 g/kg and 1.68 g/kg SWSG-HWE groups (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings indicate that SWSG-HWE enhances murine immune function, and may be suitable as a potential additive in animal feed. Keywords: Hot water extract, Cell-mediated immune function, Concanavalin A, Mononuclearmacrophage function, Haemolytic plaque, Humoral immunity, Innate immunity, Animal feed additive

A cDNA-AFLP based linkage map of Caixin ( Brassica rapa var. parachinensis ) was constructed by an F 2 population with 92 individuals from a cross of the parents of early flowering and late flowering Caixin. The fifteen selective primers generated total 229 bands with the average of 15.3 bands per primer 113 bands were polymorphic accounting for 17.5 bands per primer. The high banding primer combination was ME1M1 yielding 30 bands while the low banding primer combination was E2M5 only yielding 8 bands. The primer combination, E3M1, generated the most polymorphic bands (120), but the E1M4 and E2M5 were the least (4). Chi square test (χ 2 ) showed there was significant segregation distortion existing in the population. The linkage map was constructed based on cDNA-AFLP data, which consists of 4 linkage groups including 67 loci and spanning 334 cM with an average genetic distance of 4.99 cM.