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Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is one of the most hazardous and common environmental pollutants. However, the development of room-temperature SO2 sensors is seriously lagging behind that of other toxic gas sensors due to their poor recovery properties. In this study, a light-assisted SO2 gas sensor based on polyaniline (PANI) and Ag nanoparticle-comodified tin dioxide nanostructures (Ag/PANI/SnO2) was developed and exhibited remarkable SO2 sensitivity and excellent recovery properties. The response of the Ag/PANI/SnO2 sensor (20.1) to 50 ppm SO2 under 365 nm ultraviolet (UV) light illumination at 20 °C was almost 10 times higher than that of the pure SnO2 sensor. Significantly, the UV-assisted Ag/PANI/SnO2 sensor had a rapid response time (110 s) and recovery time (100 s) to 50 ppm SO2, but in the absence of light, the sensors exhibited poor recovery performance or were even severely and irreversibly deactivated by SO2. The UV-assisted Ag/PANI/SnO2 sensor also exhibited excellent selectivity, superior reproducibility, and satisfactory long-term stability at room temperature. The increased charge carrier density, improved charge-transfer capability, and the higher active surface of the Ag/PANI/SnO2 sensor were revealed by electrochemical measurements and endowed with high SO2 sensitivity. Moreover, the light-induced formation of hot electrons in a high-energy state in Ag/PANI/SnO2 significantly facilitated the recovery of SO2 by the gas sensor.

Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) have been identified as the etiological factors associated with the fatty kidney. Thioredoxin-interacting protein (TXNIP) might be a mediator involved in AGE-induced fatty kidney. This study focused on investigating how TXNIP affected the AGE-mediated renal lipid deposition. In an in vivo experiment, the db/db mice injected with the lentiviral vector encoding shRNA targeting TXNIP were given the AIN-76 basal or the high-AGE diet. TXNIP-targeting siRNA-transfected human renal proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells were exposed to AGE-BSA in a study in vitro. The results showed that the silencing of TXNIP reduced tubular lipid droplets and intracellular cholesterol content, as well as upregulated Insig-1 and downregulated HMGCoAR, LDLr, nSREBP-2, and SCAP in the kidneys of the db/db mice, the high-AGE-diet-fed db/db mice, and AGE-BSA-treated HK-2 cells. Furthermore, AGE-BSA enhanced SCAP-SREBP-2 complex formation while promoting their transportation to the Golgi apparatus. However, these could be inhibited by TXNIP silencing in the HK-2 cells. The above findings indicated that TXNIP knockdown mitigated the accumulation of renal tubular lipids in diabetes through the regulation of SCAP, thereby inhibiting the SCAP-SREBP-2 signaling pathway, resulting in reduced cholesterol uptake and synthesis. Therefore, TXNIP might be a potential therapeutic target to treat a diabetic fatty kidney.

The continuous basalt fibers have been regarded as one of the most promising green materials in modern society; however, key thermodynamic equilibrium data are insufficient for a better understanding of the crystallization mechanism during the fiber forming process. In the present study, the equilibrium phase relations of the core SiO2-Al2O3-FeO x subsystem with fixed 10 wt % CaO were experimentally determined using the classic equilibrium-quenching technique with the scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis. All samples were presented as liquid-silica coexisting within the basalt composition range. The 1300 and 1400 °C isotherms were constructed based on the experimental results. However, significant discrepancies were confirmed with further comparison of the experimental results with FactSage predictions, indicating that more efforts are needed for the optimization of the basalt oxide-related thermodynamic databases.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of different protein levels in late pregnancy on ewe and lamb growth performance, serum biochemical indexes. Thirty-three ewes (46.4 ± 1.38 kg initial weight) were randomly divided into 3 groups, with 11 ewes in each group. The protein levels of three diets formulated to provide components to meet 10.00 MJ/kg ME requirements diets were: 10.12%, 11.26%, 12.4%. Ewes were raised from the 90th day of pregnancy to the end of delivery, and the lambs were weaned at 60 days. Dietary protein levels had significant effects on blood urea nitrogen, glucose, ammonia nitrogen and triglyceride of ewes (p < 0.05). The height, chest depth, chest circumference, straight crown hip length and curved crown hip length of lambs decreased at first and then increased with the increase of protein. The body length, chest circumference, head width and head length of weaned lambs decreased at first and then increased with the increase of protein. The results showed that when the dietary protein level was increased to 12.4%, the amino acid, glucose and fat metabolism of ewes were affected. The body size development of lambs was better than 10.12% and 11.26% proteins.

In the Selective Crystallization and Phase Separation (SCPS) process, manganese oxide is used as an additive to promote the precipitation of perovskite. However, the influence of manganese oxide on the liquid domain of the perovskite primary phase field is still unclear. In the present work, the liquid-perovskite equilibrium with the addition of 0–15 wt% Mn3O4 was experimentally determined using a high-temperature isothermal equilibration-quenching technique, combined with X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning Electron Microscopy-Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). It was confirmed that manganese was mainly existed as Mn2+ and Mn3+ in the molten phase, whereas titanium existed as Ti4+. Within the composition range of the present study, the 1400 °C liquid compositions varying from 0 wt% to 15 wt% Mn3O4 overlapped significantly, mainly located at w (CaO)/w (SiO2) ratios between 0.9 and 1.1. The isotherms simulated by FactSage, as well as the data from the literature, generally agreed well with the present experimental results. The calculated 1400 °C isotherms at different Mn3O4 levels indicated that perovskite precipitation by manganese oxide was mainly promoted by increasing the Mn3O4 concentration to expand the primary phase field of perovskite toward both higher and lower TiO2 content areas.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary folic acid on the growth performance, intestinal morphology, and intestinal epithelial cells renewal in post-weaning piglets. Twenty-eight piglets (weaned at day 21, initial body weight of 6.73 ± 0.62 kg) were randomly allotted to 4 treatments with 7 pens per diet and 1 piglet per pen. The piglets were fed the same antibiotic-free and zinc oxide-free basal diets supplemented with folic acid at 0, 3, 9, and 18 mg/kg for 14 days. The results showed that dietary supplementation with folic acid increased villus height (VH) (P = 0.003; linear, P = 0.001), VH-to-crypt depth (VH:CD) ratio (P = 0.002; linear, P = 0.001), villus surface area (VSA) (P = 0.026; linear, P = 0.010). The analyzed parameters ADG, serum urea nitrogen (BUN) content, VH, VSA, and serum folate (SF) concentration responded linearly to the dietary folic acid concentration when the dietary folic acid concentration was below 4.42, 5.26, 4.79, 3.47, and 3.53 mg/kg respectively (R2 = 0.995, 0.995, 0.999, 0.999, 0.872, P = 0.09, 0.07, 0.09, 0.09, 0.36, respectively), as assessed by a two-linear broken-line regression. Above these breakpoints, the response of ADG, VH, VSA, and SF plateaued in response to changes in dietary folic acid concentration. Moreover, dietary supplementation with folic acid significantly increased the lactase (P = 0.001; linear, P = 0.001) and sucrase activities (P = 0.021; linear, P = 0.010) in the jejunal mucosa of weaned piglets. The mRNA expression of solute carrier family 6 member 19 (SLC6a19), solute carrier family 1 member 1 (SLC7a1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), the number of Ki67 positive cells, and cell shedding rate had a significant linear contrast (P = 0.023, 0.021, 0.038, 0.049, and 0.008, respectively) in dietary folic acid groups. In conclusion, our results indicate that folic acid supplementation can improve the growth performance and intestinal morphology of weaned piglets by maintaining the balance of epithelial cell renewal.

By analyzing the structural background, petroleum geological conditions, and typical regional (paleo) oil and gas reservoirs in marine ultra-deep oil and gas regions in China, this paper reveals the evolution processes of the marine ultra-deep oil and gas reservoirs and the key controlling factors of accumulation. The marine ultra-deep oil and gas resources in China are buried at depth of greater than 6000 m, and are mainly distributed in the Precambrian and Lower Paleozoic strata in the Sichuan, Tarim and Ordos cratonic basins. The development of marine ultra-deep source rocks in China is controlled by cratonic rifts and cratonic depressions with the background of global supercontinent breakup-convergence cycles. The source rocks in Sichuan Basin have the most developed strata, followed by Tarim Basin, and the development strata and scale of Ordos Basin needs to be further confirmed. The marine ultra-deep reservoir in China is dominated by carbonate rocks, and the reservoir performance is controlled by high-energy sedimentary environment in the early stage, superimposed corrosion and fracture in the later stage. The regional caprocks are dominated by gypsum salt rocks, shale, and tight carbonate rock. The ultra-deep oil and gas fields in China have generally experienced two stages of oil-reservoir forming, cracking (or partial cracking) of paleo-oil reservoirs, and late finalization of cracked gas (or highly mature to over mature oil and gas). The oil and gas accumulation is controlled by static and dynamic geological elements jointly. Major hydrocarbon generation center, high quality and large-scale reservoir resulted from karstification of high energy facies belt, thick gypsum rock or shale caprock, and stable trapping and preservation conditions are the key factors for accumulation of ultra-deep oil and gas. We propose three favorable exploration directions, i.e. the areas around intracratonic rift and intracratonic depression, and craton margin.

In recent years, the subsalt dolomite reservoirs in the Ordovician strata of the Ordos Basin have indicated good exploration results and are expected to have a high hydrocarbon potential. This study targets the Ma 3 and Ma 4 reservoirs below the salt rock of the Ordovician in the central and eastern Ordos Basin. It investigates the reservoir characteristics and main controlling factors of high-potential reservoirs by combining core observations, cast slabs, scanning electron microscopy, physical property analysis, and mercury injection data. The results show that the Ma 3 reservoir is dominated by gypsum-bearing dolomite deposited in evaporation environments, whereas the Ma 4 reservoir is dominated by calcite dolomite under a transgressive environment. The types of Ma 4 reservoir space mainly include dissolved pores (dissolved holes), intra-crystalline pores, intra-crystalline dissolved pores, and microcracks. The types of Ma 3 reservoir space mainly include microcracks, gypsum mould pore, dissolved pores (dissolved holes), and intergranular pores. The pore structures of reservoirs are complex. The capillary pressure curves can be divided into four types: dissolved pore type, intra-crystalline (dissolved) pore type, microcrack type, and micro-porous type. Based on available information, the average porosity values of the Ma 3 and Ma 4 reservoirs are 2.1% and 2.3%, respectively, and the average permeability values are 0.19 × 10−3μm2 and 0.22 × 10−3μm2, respectively. The Central paleo-uplift, the Wushenqi secondary paleo-uplift, and the Shenmu low uplift controlled the sedimentary facies and favorable lithofacies distributions. Sedimentary microfacies control rock fabric, and the rock fabric affects the physical properties of the reservoirs. The limestone and dolomite reservoirs with gypsum and sand cutting texture have relatively good physical properties. Diagenesis is also a key factor in the development of sub-salt reservoirs. Intra-crystalline pores are mainly formed under various dolomization mechanisms. The surficial and buried diagenetic environments facilitate the formation of a large number of secondary pores, such as dissolved pores (dissolved holes), intra-crystalline dissolved pores, and gypsum mould pores. In addition, the Yanshan tectonic activity played a vital role in the development of reservoir microcracks. The microcracks can significantly improve reservoir physical properties. It is favored that the tectonic setting, rock fabric, diagenetic, and microcrack alterations collectively determine the sub-salt reservoirs' storage capacity and are the main controlling factors for forming high-quality reservoirs.

Fifty-six piglets were weaned at 21 days and randomly assigned to 1 of 8 dietary treatments with 7 replicate pens for a 14-day experimental period. The eight experimental diets were prepared via a 2 × 4 factorial arrangement with citric acid (CA; 0 and 0.3%) and dietary electrolyte balance (dEB, Na +K - Cl mEq/kg of the diet; -50, 100, 250, and 400 mEq/kg). Varying dEB values were obtained by altering calcium chloride and sodium bicarbonate contents. Dietary CA significantly increased (p < .05) villus height (VH) and villus height:crypt depth (VH:CD) in the jejunum. Piglets fed a 250 mEq/kg diet increased (p < .05) VH and VH:CD values in the duodenum. Jejunal VH and VH:CD increased (quadratic; p < .05), and ileal VH:CD (liner and quadratic; p < .05) decreased as dEB was increased in diets without CA, but no such effect was observed on the diets containing CA (dEB ×CA; p < .05). The CD in jejunum (quadratic; p < .05) increased as dEB was increased in diets containing CA, whereas it was decreased (linear; p < .05) in the diets without CA (dEB ×CA; p < .001). Dietary CA increased maltase activity and reduced the number of Ki67-positive cells (p < .05). Increasing dEB values in diets without CA increased sucrose and lactase activities (quadratic; p < .05), but no such effect was observed in the diets with CA (dEB ×CA; p < .05). An interaction effect between dEB and CA on the number of Ki67-positive cells was observed (p < .001). In conclusion, 250 mEq/kg dEB diet with CA improved piglet intestinal digestion and absorption function by improving intestinal morphology and increasing digestive enzyme activities. However, these improvements were also observed in piglets fed the 100 mEq/kg dEB diet without CA.

Interfacial reactions of various cold isostatic pressed oxide crucibles (calcia, yttria-stabilized zirconia, and yttria) with Ti–5wt% Cu alloy at 1680 °C for 15 min melting in an argon environment have been investigated to estimate the corrosion resistance. Predicting thermodynamic analysis results indicate that oxide refractories based on calcia, zirconia, and yttria, can be used for melting titanium–copper alloy. However, significant differences between experimental results and those thermodynamic analysis results in the ZrO2–12 wt% Y2O3 and CaO systems were identified. The surface observations and element distribution made on cross-sections perpendicular to the interface using scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) show that obvious interfacial reactions between alloy melt and ceramics in ZrO2–12 wt% Y2O3, and CaO systems occur at experimental temperature, while yttria shows the most superior stability with the most desirable features of interface properties of metal and crucible, and the product of dissolved Y2O3 was still found in the metal. Meanwhile, the interaction between the ZrO2 oxide and the Ti–5 wt% Cu melt can be effectively reduced by the addition of Y2O3. The high apparent porosity of the crucible results in low resistance to erosion caused by Ti–5Cu melt. Moreover, the reduction of calcia causes the boiling of the melt. These results would provide the basis for designing a new refractory for the melting of titanium–copper alloy.

Developing highly efficient energy storage technologies is of great significance as the strong support for the utilization of renewable and sustainable energy. Sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) and potassium-ion batteries (KIBs) have attracted considerable attentions as the new generation metal-ion batteries due to the abundance natural reserve and cost-effective merits of Na and K. Phosphorus is viewed as a promising candidate among various anode materials while its poor cycling stability and sluggish electrochemical reaction dynamics caused by huge volume variation and inherently low electronic conductivity greatly limit its practical use for energy storage devices. Compositing by introducing a suitable second component has been proposed as an effective strategy to potentially resolve those issues. Herein, the research progress of phosphorus composite anodes for SIBs/KIBs is reviewed. We firstly summarized the primary modulation methods of anode materials with the working mechanisms of red/black phosphorus (RP/BP) for SIBs/KIBs introduced. The compositing strategies and materials were then reviewed for RP and BP separately from carbonaceous, metallic and organic polymer substrates, respectively. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of RP/BP composites in the development of SIBs/KIBs were presented with the hope to provide some inspirations for the design and fabrication of advanced SIBs/KIBs energy storage systems.

This study investigated whether dietary metabolizable energy (ME) could generate dynamical effects on rumen fermentation, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) morphology, and microbial composition of growing ewes. A total of twenty‐eight female Hu lambs were randomly allotted to two treatments with different dietary ME levels: 9.17 (FEA) and 10.41 MJ/kg (FEB). These lambs were further made ready for a 67‐day feeding trial. Results showed that the molar proportions of butyrate (p = .020), iso‐valerate (p = .028), and valerate (p = .005) were significantly higher in the FEB group than those in the FEA group. The results of the GIT morphologic properties showed that the villus height (VH) (p = .005) was significantly higher and crypt depth was significantly deeper (CD) (p = .005) in the duodenum and that the rumen papillary height (PH) was significantly higher (p = .020) in FEB group compared with the FEA group. High‐throughput sequencing results showed that 1826 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were obtained and that the OTU number (p = .039), the ACE (p = .035), and Chao1 indices (p = .005) were lower in the FEB group. Moreover, 76 genera belonging to 21 phyla were detected in all samples; the relative abundance of Papillibacter (p = .036) and Flexilinea (p = .046) was significantly lower in the high energy group, whereas the relative abundance of unidentified Lachnospiraceae (p = .019), Acetitomaculum (p = .029), unidentified Veillonellaceae (p = .017), Anaerovibrio (p = .005), and Succinivibrio (p = .035) was significantly higher in the FEB group at the genus level. Furthermore, the relative abundance of genes and metabolic pathways were predicted by PICRUSt. The relative abundance of gene families related to carbohydrate metabolism was particularly higher (p = .027) in the FEB group. In summary, these results reveal that the dietary energy levels altered the composition and function of rumen microbiota and GIT morphology in growing female Hu sheep and provide a reference for optimizing diet formula and 10.41MJ/kg of ME level has been recommended in the growing period., Dietary energy levels can affect the composition and function of rumen microflora and gastrointestinal tract morphology in Hu sheep. Appropriate dietary energy levels are beneficial to the gastrointestinal health of growing ewes in production.

Sulfur dioxide is one of the most hazardous and toxic air pollutants. Herein, S-doped SnO2 material (S-SnO2) was successfully recovered from tin sludge that is an important secondary tin resources with a tremendous output and high tin oxide content. After dispersion and Ag modification of the recovered S-SnO2, the as-prepared Ag/Ag2S-doped S-SnO2 (Ag/Ag2S/S-SnO2) showed an excellent sensing performance toward SO2. The morphology, structure, and surface state of the as-prepared materials were performed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron spin resonance (ESR), photoluminescence (PL), and N2 adsorption–desorption. The recovered S-SnO2 dispersed by titanate coupling agents (CT-201) showed enhanced particle dispersion and an enlarged active surface area and exhibited a high response toward SO2. Ag/Ag2S modification of the dispersed S-SnO2 obtained a markedly increased response of 10.1 and a lower operating temperature of 180 °C by increasing the amount of surface oxygen vacancies and by facilitating SO2 dissociation by further reacting between SO2 oxidation products and Ag2S. This work demonstrated the enhancement mechanism of the reaction between multiple valence sulfides on SO2-sensitive properties of SnO2-based catalysts. Furthermore, this work realized high-value-added recovery of a secondary tin resource and contributed to the alleviation of the scarcity of tin resources and reduction in the burden on the environment.

Bixin is a natural carotenoid isolated from the seeds of Bixa orellana, with numerous important pharmacological activities, including antioxidant and antifibrotic effects. The nuclear factor erythroid-2-related factor2 (Nrf2) signaling pathway induced by bixin is involved in the process. Excessive reactive oxygen species generation in tubular cells contributes to kidney interstitial fibrosis. The potential therapeutic strategy for bixin in alleviating kidney fibrosis remains largely unclear. In this study, we used unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) to establish a renal fibrotic model. Dramatic oxidative DNA damage occurs in kidneys, especially in tubular cells after UUO. In cultured tubular cells, bixin could induce Nrf2 signaling activation by suppressing Nrf2 ubiquitination and increasing its protein stability. Transforming growth factor beta 1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and extracellular matrix production were suppressed by bixin, and blockade of Nrf2 activation by small interfering RNA could largely reverse the protective effect of bixin. In vivo studies showed that administration of bixin induces Nrf2 signaling activation in tubular cells and markedly attenuates partial EMT of tubular cells and kidney interstitial fibrosis after subjecting to UUO. Together, this study implies that bixin may protect against kidney interstitial fibrosis through stimulating Nrf2 activation in renal tubular cells.

Background Oxidative stress is a key factor that influences piglets’ health. Taurine plays an imperative role in keeping the biological system from damage. This study was conducted to investigate the protective effect of taurine against muscle injury due to the secondary effect of diquat toxicity. Results Our study found that taurine effectively and dose-dependently alleviated the diquat toxicity induced rise of feed/gain, with a concurrent improvement of carcass lean percentage. The plasma content of taurine was considerably increased in a dose-dependent manner. Consequently, dietary taurine efficiently improved the activity of plasma antioxidant enzymes. Furthermore, taurine attenuated muscle damage by restoring mitochondrial micromorphology, suppressing protein degradation and reducing the percentage of apoptotic cells in the skeletal muscle. Taurine supplementation also suppressed the genes expression levels of the antioxidant-, mitochondrial biogenesis-, and muscle atrophy-related genes in the skeletal muscle of piglets with oxidative stress. Conclusions These results showed that the dose of 0.60% taurine supplementation in the diet could attenuate skeletal muscle injury induced by diquat toxicity. It is suggested that taurine could be a potential nutritional intervention strategy to improve growth performance.

The present study aimed to determine the expression level of claudin-2 (CLDN2) in the peripheral blood of patients with sepsis, and to investigate its potential function and mechanism of action in vascular endothelial injury. A total of 25 patients with sepsis were included in the present study. Reverse transcription-quantitative PCR was used to determine CLDN2 levels in peripheral blood. HUVECs stably expressing CLDN2 were prepared and Cell Counting Kit-8, flow cytometry and Transwell assays were performed to study the proliferation, apoptosis and migration of HUVECs, respectively. Using bioinformatics, microRNA (miR) molecules that interact with CLDN2 were predicted. A dual luciferase reporter assay was used to test whether miR-331 regulated CLDN2. Western blotting was employed to determine CLDN2 protein expression. In addition, in vitro transfection of HUVECs with miR-331 mimics was performed to test the rescue effects of miR-331 on the cell function changes induced by CLDN2. The results indicated that elevated CLDN2 expression altered the proliferation and cell cycle of peripheral vascular endothelial cells. CLDN2 overexpression inhibited HUVEC proliferation via mechanisms not associated with the cell cycle. CLDN2 mRNA levels in the peripheral blood of patients with sepsis were significantly higher than those in healthy subjects. Upregulated CLDN2 expression promoted the apoptosis of HUVECs, but reduced their proliferation and migration. Notably, miR-331 was able to bind with CLDN2 mRNA and regulate its expression. Upregulation of miR-331 expression inhibited the expression of CLDN2 and restored nearly normal proliferation, apoptosis and migration to HUVECs. The present study demonstrated that CLDN2 expression is elevated in peripheral blood from patients with sepsis, and promotes the injury of vascular endothelial cells. In addition, miR-331 participates in the direct regulation of CLDN2, and upregulation of miR-331 expression inhibits the expression of CLDN2 and restores cellular functions to HUVECs.

Background: Stearic acid (SA), a saturated long-chain fatty acid consisting of 18 carbon atoms, is widely found in feed ingredients, such as corn, soybeans, and wheat. However, the roles of SA in the renewal of intestinal epithelial cells remain unclear. Methods and Results: In the present study, we found that 0.01-0.1 mM SA promoted IPEC-J2 cell differentiation and did not affect IPEC-J2 cell viability. In addition, the results showed that the viability of IPEC-J2 cells was inhibited by SA in a time- and dose-dependent manner at high concentrations. Flow cytometry and western blot analysis suggested that SA induced apoptosis, autophagy and ER stress in cells. In addition, the amounts of triglyceride were significantly increased upon challenge with SA. Moreover, the decrease in the viability of cells induced by SA could be attenuated by 4-PBA, an inhibitor of ER stress. Conclusion: In summary, SA accelerated IPEC-J2 cell differentiation at 0.01-0.1 mM. Furthermore, SA induced IPEC-J2 cell apoptosis and autophagy by causing ER stress.

This experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of different dietary energy levels on growth performance, slaughter traits, meat quality and blood biochemical parameters in fattening male Hu lambs. Sixty lambs were fed five iso-protein diets which contained different levels of metabolizable energy in a completely randomized design for 70 days. At the end of study, fifteen lambs were harvested for further study. With the increase in dietary energy level, the daily weight gain and dry matter intake extremely increased (p < .001), and feed conversion ratio decreased significantly (p < .01). The live weight before slaughter (LWBS) and carcass weight had a significant increase (p < .05), non-carcass fat ratio and routine indexes of meat quality had no significant difference. Almost no effect was observed for the amino acid profile except for glycine concentration decreased (p < .05) in longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle. The concentrations of C17:0, C18:3n-3 and n-3 PUFA (p < .01) significantly decreased with the increasing dietary energy levels, and the ratio of ∑n-6/∑n-3 (p < .01) increased, whereas the concentrations of C18:1n-9t (p < .05) decreased in LD muscle and C18:1 (p < .01) increased in biceps femoris (BF) muscle. There were no obviously differences for diameter, area and density of muscle fibres. The relative expression of MyHC-IIa and MyHC-IIx decreased significantly (p < .05) in BF muscle, and the relative expression of MyHC-IIa displayed an obviously decreasing trend (p < .10) in LD muscle. These results suggest that increasing the dietary energy level can improve the growth performance and slaughter traits, and influence meat quality and fatty acid profiles in different muscle tissues of fattening male Hu lambs. These results provide a theoretical basis for developing Hu sheep nutritional standards and designing feed formulations.

In this present paper, the electropolishing behavior of Ti–6Al–4V alloy fabricated by additive manufacturing in chloride-containing ethylene glycol electrolyte was surveyed. The impacts of chloride ion on surface quality and oxide film of Ti–6Al–4V were analyzed in dependence on the surface topography, roughness, weight loss ratio and compositions. The visual and microscopic results revealed that the optimally electropolished surface was attained in a 0.4 mol L−1 chloride electrolyte with a decreased surface roughness of 75.04% and a weight loss rate of 4.93%. For lower (CCl−1 ≤ 0.3 mol L−1) or higher concentrations (CCl−1 ≥ 0.5 mol L−1), a smooth and flat surface was not observed due to insufficient reactions or excessive anodic dissolution. During the electropolishing, the titanium oxides nucleated and corresponding surface tension increased, resulting in the formation of a stable TiO2 film on the surface of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy, increasing the corrosion resistance of the specimen.

Background: Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) are pathogenic factors of renal tubular lipid accumulation and play a negative role in diabetic kidney disease (DKD). Glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 2 inhibition offers strong renoprotection in the progression of DKD. The aim of the current study was to investigate the effects of empagliflozin (EMPA, a potent and selective SGLT2 inhibitor) on AGEs-induced renal tubular lipid accumulation in both diabetic mice fed with a high-AGEs diet and AGEs-treated cultured human renal proximal tubular epithelial (HK-2) cells. Methods: In vivo, EMPA was used to treat db/db mice fed a high-AGEs diet or an AIN-76 basal diet. In an in vitro study, HK-2 cells were treated with AGEs-bovine serum albumin (BSA) and/or EMPA. Sterol regulatory element binding protein (SREBP) cleavage-activating protein (SCAP) translocation was detected by confocal microscopy. Results: EMPA reduced tubular lipid droplets and intracellular cholesterol content, as well as the expression of proteins involved in the synthesis and absorption of cholesterol in the kidneys of basal diet-fed db/db mice, high-AGEs diet-fed db/db mice and AGEs-BSA-treated HK-2 cells. AGEs-BSA loading promoted the formation of SCAP-SREBP-2 complexes and enhanced the transport of the complexes to the Golgi, but these effects were markedly inhibited by EMPA in HK-2 cells. EMPA reduced renal inflammation both in basal diet-fed db/db mice and high-AGEs diet-fed db/db mice, and suppressed NLRP3 inflammasome activation in AGEs-BSA-treated HK-2 cells. In addition, EMPA reduced the serum AGEs level in vivo and inhibited renal tubular endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and receptor of AGEs (RAGE) expression both in vivo and in vitro. Conclusions: EMPA attenuated AGEs synthesis and inhibited the AGEs-RAGE signaling pathway, thereby suppressing ER stress and inhibiting abnormal cholesterol metabolism and release of inflammatory cytokines, thus alleviating renal tubular lipid accumulation and inflammation.

Simple Summary Copper (Cu) is one of the essential trace elements for animal growth. Piglet intestinal epithelium undergoes a complete renewal driven by intestinal stem cells located at the crypt base. However, whether Cu improves intestinal morphology and development via modulating intestinal stem cell activity in pigs remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effects of dietary Cu during the weaning period on the intestinal morphology and development of weaned and finished pigs and explored the potential mechanism by culturing the intestinal organoids and treated them with Cu in vitro. The results indicated that Cu supplementation during the weaning period improves the intestinal morphology in finishing pigs by modulating the activity of intestinal stem cells. Abstract Copper (Cu) is an essential micronutrient for animals. Many studies have been conducted on the effects of dietary Cu on growth performance, intestinal morphology, and function of piglets. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be explored. Intestinal stem cells (ISC) drive the development and constant renewal of intestinal epithelium. Therefore, we hypothesized that dietary Cu affects piglets’ intestinal development via modulating ISC activity. A total of eighty-five 21-day-old piglets were randomly assigned to five groups, where 25, 50, 75, 100, and 125 mg CuSO4/kg on a dry matter basis were supplemented to the basal diet at phase 1 (day 0 to 21). Increasing the dietary Cu concentration decreased (p < 0.05) villus width but increased (p < 0.001) the number of Ki67-positive cells. At phase 2 (day 22 to 163), the other 45 pigs were offered the same diets. Villus height in the 125 mg/kg Cu group was greater (p < 0.001) than in the other groups. Moreover, the effects of Cu on ISC activity in vitro were tested to explore the underlying mechanism. Compared to the control group, 10 μmol/L CuSO4·5H2O increased (p < 0.001) the organoid budding efficiency, crypt depth, and crypts per organoid. Dietary Cu improved the intestinal morphology of finishing pigs via promoting cell proliferation and modulating ISC activity.

BackgroundDietary amylose/amylopectin ratio (DAR) plays an important role in piglets’ intestinal health. It is controversial whether diarrhea could be relieved by changing DAR in weaning piglets.MethodsSixty (Landrace × Yorkshire) castrated male pigs (initial body weight (BW) 6.51 ± 0.64 kg) were randomly allocated to five groups (one pig per cage and 12 replicates per group) according to their BW. Piglets received diets with different DARs (0.00, 0.20, 0.40, 0.60, and 0.80) for 29 days. Feed transition occurs at day 15. The piglets were challenged with lipopolysaccharides (Escherichia coli LPS, 100 μg/kg BW) on day 29 by intraperitoneal injection at 12 h before slaughter. Chyme was collected for pH value, short-chain fatty acid (SCFA), and cecal microbe analysis using 16S rRNA gene sequencing; mucosa was sampled for detecting gene expression.ResultsRate and degree of diarrhea were higher when DAR was 0.40 than when it was 0.20 and 0.80 during the third week (P < 0.05). The chyme pH value in the cecum was higher (P < 0.05) in 0.20 DAR than in 0.00 and 0.80 DARs, but with no significant difference compared with 0.40 and 0.60 DARs (P > 0.05). Cecal isobutyric acid and isovaleric acid concentrations were higher in 0.20 than in other groups (P < 0.01). Cecal SCFAs such as acetic acid, propionic acid, and total SCFA, concentrations were higher in 0.40 DAR than in 0.00, 0.60, and 0.80 DARs (P < 0.05), but with no significant difference when compared with 0.20 (P > 0.05). Cecal crypt depth was lower (P < 0.05) in 0.80 than in other groups, but not 0.40. Claudin mRNA expression in the mucosa of the ileum was higher in 0.20 than in other groups (P < 0.01). The alpha diversity of cecal microbe representative by goods coverage was higher in group 0.40 when compared with group 0.20 (P < 0.05). At the genus level, the abundances of the Ruminococcaceae_NK4A214_group and Anaerotruncus were higher but that of Cetobacterium was lower in the cecal chyme of group 0.20 than that of group 0.60 (P < 0.05), with no significant difference compared with other groups (P > 0.05). The diarrhea rate during the third week was negatively correlated with the abundances of Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group and X.Eubacterium_coprostanoligenes_group (P < 0.05).ConclusionCompared with diet high in amylose or amylopectin, diet with DAR 0.40 showed a worse degree of diarrhea in weaned piglets during feed transition. But the intestinal health will be improved the week after the microbes and metabolites are regulated by DAR.

Vitamin B6 (VB6) is an important coenzyme factor which participates in many metabolic reactions, especially amino acid metabolism. There are few reports on how VB6 mediates weaned piglet intestinal health. This study purposed to investigate dietary VB6 effects on growth, diarrhea rates, and intestinal morphology and function in weaned piglets fed a high-crude protein (22% CP) diet. Eighteen 21-d-old weaned [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc] piglets with body weights of 7.03 ± 0.15 (means ± SEM) kg were randomly assigned into 3 VB6-containing dietary treatments. Vitamin B6 content was: 0, 4, and 7 mg/kg, respectively. The feeding period lasted 14 d. The results showed that no significant difference existed for the growth performance. The 7 mg/kg VB6 group had a tendency to decrease diarrhea rate (P = 0.065). Blood biochemical parameters analysis demonstrated that total protein, cholesterol, and high-density lipoprotein significantly increased in the 7 mg/kg VB6 group (P < 0.05). In the jejunum, no significant differences were detected for villus height, villus width, crypt depth, villus height and crypt depth ratios, and positive Ki67 counts and the mRNA expression of inflammatory cytokines. Vitamin B6 significantly increased the mRNA expression of SLC6A19 and SLC6A20 (P < 0.05) and decreased the mRNA expression of SLC36A1 (P < 0.05). In the ileum, VB6 significantly increased villus height and villus width (P < 0.05) while decreased positive Ki67 cell counts for 7 mg/kg VB6 group (P < 0.05). Vitamin B6 had significantly increased the mRNA expression of interleukin-1β, tumor necrosis factor-α,cyclo-oxygen-ase-2, and transforming growth factor-β (P < 0.05). Vitamin B6 also had significantly increased mRNA expression of SLC6A19, SLC7A6, SLC7A7, and SLC36A1 (P < 0.05). These findings suggest that dietary supplementation with VB6 may affect the intestinal morphology and absorption and metabolism of protein in weaned piglets fed a high-protein diet by altering the expression of intestinal inflammatory cytokines and amino acid transporters.

The Junggar Basin is one of the major petroliferous basins with abundant oil and gas resources in onshore China. Around 2010 and thereafter, the hydrocarbon exploration for finding giant fields in the basin faced tough difficulties: in the northwestern margin area, no significant breakthrough has been made for long since seeking to “escape from the step-fault zone and extend to the slope area”; in the central part, the exploration for large lithologic-stratigraphic reservoirs stood still; since the discovery of the Kelameili gas field, no important achievement has been made in gas exploration. Under the guidance of “whole sag-oil-bearing” theory in the petroliferous basin, and based on the long-term study and thinking of the petroleum accumulation conditions and characteristics, the authors proposed several new concepts, i.e., a “thrust-induced second-order fault step” hiding under the northwestern slope area; six “hydrocarbon migrationward surfaces” favorable for hydrocarbon accumulation; promising natural gas resource. These concepts have played an important role in the discoveries of Wells Mahu1 and Yanbei1 as well as the confirmation and expansion of Permian-Triassic billion-ton-scale petroliferous areas in Mahu. The fairway of new discoveries has also appeared for natural gas exploration in Wells Fu26, Gaotan1 and Qianshao2, suggesting that the surrounding regions of the highly matured source kitchen are of high possibility to form gas accumulations. Key words: second-order fault step, hydrocarbon migrationward surface, favorable facies belt, lithologic-stratigraphic reservoir, whole sag-oil-bearing, natural gas, potential and direction, Junggar Basin

This study was conducted to determine the effects of oral administration with glutamate on metabolism of suckling piglets based on 1 H-Nuclear magnetic resonance (1 H NMR) spectroscopy through the level of metabolism. Forty-eight healthy [(Yorkshire × Landrace) × Duroc] piglets born on the same day with a similar birth bodyweight (1.55 ± 0.20 kg) were obtained from six sows (8 piglets per sow). The piglets from each sow were randomly assigned into four treatments (2 piglets per treatment). The piglets were given 0.09 g/kg body weight (BW) of sodium chloride (CN group), 0.03 g/kg BW monosodium glutamate (LMG group), 0.25 g/kg BW monosodium glutamate (MMG group) and 0.50 g/kg BW monosodium glutamate (HMG group) twice a day respectively. An 1 H NMR-based metabolomics' study found that the addition of monosodium glutamate (MSG) significantly reduced serum citrate content in 7-day-old piglets, while HMG significantly increased serum trimethylamine content and significantly reduced unsaturated fat content in 7-day-old piglets (p < .05). The content of glutamine, trimethylamine, albumin, choline and urea nitrogen was significantly increased and the creatinine content decreased significantly in the 21-day-old HMG (p < .05). Analysis of serum hormones revealed that glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) content in the 21-day-old HMG was highest (p < .05). The cholecystokinin (CCK) content in the HMG of 7-day-old piglets was lower than that in the LMG (p < .05), and the CCK content in the serum of the 21-day-old MMG was highest (p < .05). The serum leptin levels in the 21-day-old HMG were the lowest (p < .05). The serum insulin content in the 7-day-old MMG was highest (p < .05). This study suggests that MSG plays an important role in the metabolism of sugar, fat and protein (amino acids). These results provide a theoretical basis for designing piglet feed formulations.

Cysteine oxygenase (CDO) is a mononuclear nonhemoglobin enzyme that catalyzes the production of taurine through the cysteine (Cys) pathway and plays a key role in the biosynthesis of taurine in mammals. However, the function of CDOs in bony fish remains poorly understood. In this study, we cloned CDO genes (CaCDO1 and CaCDO2) from Carassius auratus. The cDNA sequences of both CaCDO1 and CaCDO2 encoded putative proteins with 201 amino acids, which included structural features typical of the CDO protein family. Multiple sequence alignment and phylogenetic analysis showed that CaCDO1 and CaCDO2 shared high sequence identities and similarities with C. carpio homologs. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) results revealed that CaCDO1 and CaCDO2 were both broadly expressed in all selected tissues and developmental stages in C. auratus but had differing mRNA levels. In addition, compared to those of the taurine-free group, the in vivo mRNA expression levels of both CaCDO1 and CaCDO2 significantly decreased with increasing dietary taurine levels from 1.0 to 9.0 g/kg. Furthermore, in vitro taurine treatments showed similar inhibitory effects on the expression of CaCDO1 and CaCDO2 in the intestines of C. auratus. Our results also showed that the mRNA expression of CaCDO2 in the intestines was higher than that of CaCDO1 in response to in vivo and in vitro taurine supplementation. Overall, these data may provide new insights into the regulation of fish CDO expression and provide valuable knowledge for improving dietary formulas in aquaculture.

This paper presents a new approach to modify the surface of the Ti–6Al–4V alloy fabricated by additive manufacturing. This method is particularly suitable for titanium or titanium alloy components with complex shapes (such as pipes, holes and internal flow paths) which are difficult to be polished by conventional methods. The corresponding electrochemical tests were carried out in Hanks’ balanced salt solution. The results demonstrated that the chemical polishing of additively manufactured Ti–6Al–4V obtained a high-quality surface through the combination of oxidation corrosive action and polishing liquid flow by reducing the peak-to-valley spacing and smoothing the alloy surface. After chemical polishing, a passivation film consisted of rutile and anatase formed on the alloy surface, which showed n-type semiconductor characteristics and had a lower donor density, leading to the increase in the corrosion resistance.

Background Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli K88 (E. coli K88) are considered as a major cause of diarrhea and death in newly weaned piglets. Oral passive immunization with chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins (IgY) have attracted considerable attention for treatment of gastrointestinal infection due to its high specificity. In this study it was estimated the protective effect of anti-K88 fimbriae IgY against E. coli K88 adhesion to piglet intestinal mucus in vitro and to investigate the potential use of IgY for controlling E. coli-induced diarrhea in weaned piglets in vivo. Results E. coli K88 was incubated with IgY for 24 h, and the bacterial growth profiles showed that specific IgY with a concentration higher than 5 mg/mL was observed to significantly inhibit the growth of E. coli K88 compared to nonspecific yolk powder in a liquid medium. Moreover, pretreatment with 50 mg/mL of IgY was found to significantly decrease the adhesion ability of E. coli K88 to porcine jejunal and ileal mucus, further supported by the observations from our immunofluorescence microscopic analysis. In vivo, administration of IgY successfully protected piglets from diarrhea caused by E. coli K88 challenge. Additionally, IgY treatment efficiently alleviated E. coli-induced intestinal inflammation in piglets as the gene expression levels of inflammatory cytokines TNF-α, IL-22, IL-6 and IL-1β in IgY-treated piglets remained unchanged after E. coli K88 infection. Furthermore, IgY significantly prevented E. coli K88 adhering to the jejunal and ileal mucosa of piglets with E. coli infection and significantly decreased E. coli and enterotoxin expression in colonic contents. Conclusion Outcome of the study demonstrated that IgY against the fimbrial antigen K88 was able to significantly inhibit the growth of E. coli K88, block the binding of E. coli to small intestinal mucus, and protect piglets from E. coli-induced diarrhea. These results indicate that passive immunization with IgY may be useful to prevent bacterial colonization and to control enteric diseases due to E. coli infection. The study has great clinical implication to provide alternative therapy to antibiotics in E coli induced diarrhea. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-1958-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Rare earth (RE) metals are now being widely applied in new material industries with rapidly increasing production. However, there is limited research on greenhouse gas emission factors from RE metals production by electrolysis and currently no method exists to account for this industry’s CO2 emissions in the ‘2006 IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories’. This study employed two independent methods to determine direct carbon emission factors for industrial rare earth metals production by molten-salt electrolysis: continuous emissions monitoring by FTIR and time-integrated sampling with offline lab analysis, both measuring CO2 and CO concentrations in the exhaust gases from Pr-Nd, Dy-Fe and La potlines in three companies in China. The study confirmed that CO2 contributes >97% of the total carbon emission factor. Direct carbon emissions per tonne RE metal electrolysis is equivalent to one tenth to a half of the emission factor for aluminum production (due to much lighter molar mass of Al) but is similar on a mole basis (carbon emissions per mole metal). Emission factors vary with the type of rare earth metal or alloy produced and from one facility to another, ranging from 165.0 to 672.4 kg/t-RE metal for CO2, 3.00 to 8.23 kg/t-RE metal for CO and 46.4 to 186.8 kg/t-RE metal for total carbon. Direct CO2 and CO emission factors from the two exhaust gas monitoring methods agreed well considering the uncertainties.

This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that dietary supplementation with anti‐E. coli, chicken egg yolk immunoglobulins (IgY), may affect early weaned piglet (EWP) intestinal functions and enteric micro‐organisms. One hundred and forty‐eight ([Landrace × Yorkshire] × Duroc) piglets, weaned at age day 21, were randomly assigned to receive one of three diets for 14 days. Treatment group one (control group) was fed the base diet. Treatment group two (antibiotics group) was fed the base diet which was supplemented with 100 ppm colistin sulphate and 15 ppm enramycin; treatment group three (IgY group) was fed the base diet which was supplemented with 500 mg/kg anti‐E. coli IgY. The study evaluated the effects on EWPs of IgY on growth, serum biochemical, inflammatory profiles and also digestion content intestinal bacterial populations. Results showed no significant difference in diarrhoea rates between IgY‐fed EWPs and antibiotic‐treated EWPs. Serum biochemical analysis showed that EWPs fed an IgY‐containing diet had both lower (p

Prothioconazole (PTC) is a widely used triazolinthione fungicide with low toxicity and short residual period. However, its desulfurization metabolite, prothioconazole-desthio (PTC-d), is more persistent and has higher toxicity in terrestrial animals. In this study, the toxicokinetics (TK) and tissue distribution of PTC and PTC-d in Chinese lizards (Eremias argus) were measured following single oral dose (100 mg kg−1 body weight) treatments. TK parameters indicated that PTC was more rapidly absorbed than PTC-d, as indicated by its shorter time to reach peak concentrations in most tissues. Furthermore, the relative bioavailability of PTC in lizards was lower than that of PTC-d. Compared with PTC, PTC-d preferentially accumulated in lizards, as reflected by longer half-life of PTC-d. During the distribution process, PTC-d generated in vivo was transported from other tissues and was deposited in the skin and tail, where PTC-d may be excreted by exuviation or tail detachment. Preferential enrichment of S-enantiomer of both PTC and PTC-d were observed in all tissues. Hepatic cytochrome P450 gene expression measurement revealed that cyp1a5 and cyp3a28 exhibited the strongest responses in both treatment groups. In addition, the opposite responses of cyp2k4 in different treatment groups may indicate that this enzyme caused differences in the rates of metabolism of the two chemicals. This study compared the TK profile of PTC and its desulfurization metabolite PTC-d in lizards and demonstrated that the desulfurization of PTC could increase its ecological risk due to the higher bioavailability and persistence of PTC-d.

Well Gaotan 1 was tested a high yield oil and gas flow of more than 1 000 m3 a day in the Cretaceous Qingshuihe Formation, marking a major breakthrough in the lower assemblage of the southern margin of Junggar Basin. The lower assemblage in the southern margin of the Junggar Basin has favorable geological conditions for forming large Petroleum fields, including: (1) Multiple sets of source rocks, of which the Jurassic and Permian are the main source rocks, with a large source kitchen. (2) Multiple sets of effective reservoirs, namely Cretaceous Qingshuihe Formation, Jurassic Toutunhe Formation and the Khalza Formation etc. (3) Regional thick mudstone caprock of Cretaceous Tugulu Group, generally with abnormally high pressure and good sealing ability. (4) Giant structural traps and litho-stratigraphic traps are developed. The northern slope also has the conditions for large-scale litho-stratigraphic traps. (5) Static elements such as source rocks, reservoirs and caprocks are well matched, and the dynamic evolution is suitable for large oil and gas accumulation. The lower assemblage of the southern margin of the Junggar Basin has three favorable exploration directions, the Sikeshu Sag in the west part, the large structures in the middle and eastern part, and the northern slope. Key Words: southern margin of Junggar Basin, Well Gaotan 1, lower assemblage, accumulation condition, exploration direction

A novel gas sensor based on Ag nanoparticle-doped WO3 nanosheets with various doping levels was successfully fabricated via a two-step process that included a facile acid-precipitation method followed by a dipping route. The crystal structures, morphologies and composition of the as-obtained sensing materials were characterized by XRD, SEM, TEM and XPS methods. Gas sensing tests revealed that the 2 at.% Ag NPs-WO3 nanosheets possess excellent gas sensing performance for formaldehyde (HCHO). The sensitivity of the material towards 100 ppm HCHO was as high as 20.83 at an optimum operating temperature of 300 °C, which is higher than that of pure one even at lower working temperatures. Furthermore, the rapid response/recovery speeds (5 s/5 s), great selectivity and outstanding long-term stability were also exhibited for the 2 at.% Ag NPs-modified WO3 sensor. The improvement of sensing performance is related to the active space charge regions around the interface of Ag particles and WO3, and the catalytic role of Ag nanoparticles as the possible sensing mechanism was proposed. The Ag NP-decorated WO3 with superior gas sensing property is expected to be a promising candidate for formaldehyde detection in practical application and industrial production.

The abnormalities in intestinal morphology and digestive function during weaning are associated with the loss of milk-borne growth factors. Epidermal growth factor (EGF) has been shown to stimulate the growth of animals. This study was to determine the effect of dietary EGF on nutrient digestibility, intestinal development and the expression of genes encoding nutrient transporters in weaned piglets. Forty-two piglets were weaned at 21 days and assigned to one of three treatment groups: (1) basal diet (control), (2) basal diet + 200 µg/kg EGF or (3) basal diet + 400 µg/kg EGF. Each treatment consisted of 14 replicates, and seven piglets from each treatment were sampled on day 7 and 14. The EGF supplementation significantly elevated (p < 0.05) the coefficients of total tract apparent digestibility of crude protein, calcium and phosphorus, but tended to decrease sucrase activity (p < 0.10) than the control group. At day 7 post-weaning, animals receiving EGF diets showed a tendency (p < 0.10) towards greater ileal villus height (VH), jejunal crypt depth (CD) and duodenal VH:CD when compared with the control group. Moreover, the mRNA levels of glucose transporter 2 (Slc2a2), neutral amino acid transporter (Slc6a19) and calbindin D9k (S100G) tended to be higher (p < 0.10) for EGF groups than the control group. By day 14, EGF supplementation markedly enhanced (p < 0.05) the VH, CD and VH:CD in the jejunum compared to the control group. This addition also up-regulated (p < 0.05) the mRNA level and the protein abundance of peptide transporter 1 than the control group. These findings demonstrated that dietary EGF beneficially enhanced nutrient digestibility, improved intestinal development and increased the mRNA expression of nutrient transporters in weaned piglets.

A series of guanidinium ionic liquid modified magnetic chitosan/graphene oxide (GIL-MCGO) nanocomposites have been prepared for DNA extraction via magnetic solid-phase extraction technology. These nanocomposites are of only 20 nanometers in diameter. Single stranded DNA or DNA sodium salts that were absorbed by GIL-MCGO could be quickly collected by an external magnet and extracted. The DNA extraction efficiency of 11 GIL-MCGO nanocomposites was evaluated using NanoDrop. Factors that could impact the DNA extraction process, such as pH, temperature, extraction time, and ionic strength were systematically investigated via single-factor experimental analysis. Under the optimum extraction conditions, a maximum DNA extraction capacity of 233.0 ± 0.4 mg g−1 of GIL-MCGO nanocomposite was achieved. The solid phase extraction method based on GIL-MCGO nanocomposites has been demonstrated with the extraction of DNA from a series of complex sample matrices, including single stranded DNA samples, salmon sperm DNA sodium salt, human whole blood and E. coli cell lysate. The DNA extracted by using the GIL-MCGO nanocomposites are well suitable for PCR amplifications. In addition, an initial study on the interaction between GIL-MCGO and DNA was conducted: the preference of GIL-MCGO on DNA absorption with varying base composition was tested. Only a slight loss in the DNA extraction efficiency of GIL-MCGO was observed after four extraction–desorption cycles, proving excellent regeneration performance and recyclability of the GIL-MCGO nanocomposites in the DNA extraction process.

Chlorogenic acid (CGA), one of the most abundant polyphenol compounds in nature, is regarded as a potential feed additive to promote animal health and enhance the meat products’ quality via its various biological properties. The current study aims: (1) to determine whether dietary CGA supplementation improves meat quality and muscle fiber characteristics, and (2) to ascertain whether the corresponding improvement is associated with enhancing the antioxidant capacity of the finishing pigs. Thirty-two (Large × White × Landrace) finishing pigs with an average initial body weight of 71.89 ± 0.92 kg were allotted to 4 groups, and each was fed diets supplemented with 0, 0.02, 0.04, or 0.08% (weight/weight) of CGA. The meat quality traits, muscle fiber characteristics, and the serum and muscle antioxidant capacity were assessed. Results suggested that, compared with the control group, dietary CGA supplementation at a level of 0.04% significantly decreased the b∗ value and distinctly increased the inosinic acid content of longissimus dorsi (LD) and biceps femoris (BF) muscles (P < 0.01). Moreover, dietary supplementation with 0.04% of CGA markedly improved the amino acid composition of LD and BF muscles, as well as augmented the mRNA abundance of Nrf-2, GPX-1, MyoD, MyoG, and oxidative muscle fiber (I and IIa) in LD muscle (P < 0.05). This result indicates that a diet supplemented with 0.04% of CGA promotes myogenesis and induces a transformation toward more oxidative muscle fibers in LD muscle, subsequently improving meat quality. Besides, dietary supplementation with 0.02% and 0.04% of CGA notably enhanced the serum GSH-PX level (P < 0.01). Considering all these effects are closely related to the alteration of antioxidant activities of the finishing pigs, the underlying metabolism is likely connected to the boosting of their antioxidant capacity induced by dietary CGA.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adding Pennisetum purpureum (P. purpureum, also known as Napier grass or elephant grass) to the diets of late gestation on the antioxidant indexes, immune indexes and faecal microbiota of sows. At the 90 days of gestation, 300 healthy sows were randomly divided into three groups, and they received the basic commercial diet or added 5% P. purpureum and 10% P. purpureum, respectively. The experiment started from 90 days of gestation to parturition. The results showed that the total antioxidant capacity, immunoglobulins and serum equol concentrations of sows on 100 days of gestation and at parturition increased linearly (p, At the 90 days of gestation, 300 healthy sows were randomly divided into three groups, and they received the basic commercial diet or added 5% P. purpureum and 10% P. purpureum respectively. This study shows that the addition of P. purpureum can increase the concentration of serum equol and improve the antioxidant capacity and immune function of sow in late gestation. In addition, the addition of 5% P. purpureum in the diet can change the composition of intestinal microbiota of sows, particularly the relative abundance of Coriobacteriaceae increased.

Background: Antioxidant function could be regulated by resistant starch supplementation in rats with kidney disease. It is controversial whether antioxidant ability could be regulated by changing dietary amylose/amylopectin ratio (DAR) when weaned piglets under lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stress.Methods: Sixty male weaned piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 21 day old, 6.51 ± 0.64 kg) were allotted to 5 dietary treatments with 12 cages per treatment, and fed ad libitum with diets different in DAR (0.00, 0.20, 0.40, 0.60 and 0.80). Feed transformation happened at day 15. On day 29, 12 h before slaughter, pigs were intraperitoneal injected with 100 μg/kg body weight LPS or sterile saline. Results: Results showed that LPS stress caused increase in serum urea nitrogen and glucose concentration (P < 0.05). Serum immunoglobulin G concentration increased after LPS stress in diet 0.80 but decreased in other groups (PPPPPPlongissimus dorsi muscle (LM) increased in diets 0.20 and 0.80 but decreased in diet 0.40 (PPLM and hepatic Cu decreased after LPS stress in diet 0.20 but increased in diet 0.80 (PPPConclusions: Antioxidant ability could be improved by feeding diet with low or high amylose/amylopectin ratio when weaned piglets suffered LPS stress.

Vanadium is a strategic transition metal that has been extensively utilized in steelmaking, green chemistry, energy storage, and aviation industries, and the sustainable development of vanadium production industries is therefore of significant importance. In this review, the production of vanadium using primary resources including vanadium titano-magnetite, vanadium slag, vanadium bearing stone coal, and carnotite has been reviewed, with the elaboration of typical industrial processes. The processes with respect to the cleaner production of vanadium have been discussed in detail to provide information for peer researchers to understand the challenges of this industry and future research directions. In addition, the resource, market, and major organizations of vanadium production have also been discussed in this review, presenting a general overview of this important industry.

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease is the most common liver disease worldwide. Hepatic steatosis and oxidative stress are the main characteristics of NAFLD (nonalcoholic fatty liver disease), which also affect its prognosis. Bixin acts as novel Nrf2 (NF-E2 p45-related factor 2) activator with the cytoprotection against oxidative stress and inflammation; this study mainly focused on the mechanism of Nrf2 activation by bixin and explored its potential feasibilities in long-term high-fat diet- (HFD-) caused hepatic steatosis and inflammatory response in vitro and in vivo. Bixin was found to activate Nrf2 signals by the modification of critical Keap1 (Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1) cystine and competitive interaction with Keap1 with upregulating P62 mRNA and protein expression. In human liver cells exposed to FFA (free fatty acid), bixin displayed a pronounced cytoprotective activity with upregulation of Nrf2-mediated gene expression, such as PPARα and its targets related with fatty acid oxidation. In HFD-fed mice, systemic administration of bixin attenuated lipid accumulation, decreased oxidant inflammatory damage in the liver, and reduced circulating lipid levels through Nrf2. Different from most of other established inducers, bixin activated Nrf2 signals through two different mechanisms with safe administration for protection of oxidant inflammatory damage and attenuation of lipid accumulation in the in vivo long-term HFD-fed mice. Bixin represents a prototype Nrf2 activator that displays cytoprotective activity upon system administration targeting hepatic steatosis and oxidant inflammation originating from long-term HFD-fed mice. And bixin-based Nrf2-directed systemic intervention may also provide therapeutic benefit in protecting other organs in the process of metabolic syndrome.

The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of Ginkgolide A (GA) on renal function of mice with sepsis and whether GA could attenuate sepsis-associated inflammation and apoptosis in kidney via upregulating microRNA (miR)-25 with NADPH oxidase 4 (Nox4) as the target. Experiments were carried out on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated mice and kidney tubular (NRK-52E) cells. GA significantly inhibited the increases of creatinine (Cr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and cystatin C (CysC) in the serum of LPS-treated mice. The increases of inflammatory factors including tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6 in the kidneys of LPS-treated mice or NRK-52E cells were inhibited by GA administration. The changes of cleaved-caspase 3, cleaved-caspase 8, Bax, Bcl2 in mouse kidney and NRK-52E cells treated by LPS were reversed by GA administration. The sepsis-induced decrease of miR-25 was enhanced by GA treatment. The LPS-induced increases of inflammatory factors and apoptosis in mouse kidney or NRK-52E cells were attenuated after miR-25 agomiR administration. The bioinformatics analysis and luciferase reporter assays showed that Nox4 was a direct target gene of miR-25. Treatment with miR-25 inhibited Nox4 expression, while Nox4 over-expression reversed the inhibiting effects of miR-25 agomiR on LPS-induced increases of inflammatory factors and apoptosis in NRK-52E cells. These results indicated that GA could improve sepsis-induced renal damage by attenuating renal inflammation and apoptosis via upregulating miR-25 with Nox4 as the target.

Prothioconazole (PTC) is a high effective systemic fungicide, and one of its major metabolites is prothioconazole-desthio (PTC-d). Because of its wildly use in the farmland of China, the local eco-toxicological effects of PTC as well as PTC-d are needed to be concerned. This study investigated hepatoxicity of Chinese lizards (Eremias argus), a local non-target organism, after single dose oral treated (100 mg kg−1 BW) through pathological, enzyme activity and gene expression analysis. PTC treatment caused ballooning and PTC-d treatment led to macrovesicular steatosis of hepatocyte. The elevation of serum indexes, including the activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and alanine aminotransferase (ALT), further confirmed the hepatic injury. PTC and PTC-d treatments altered oxidative status reflected by the inhibition of superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity , meanwhile, the stimulation of catalase (CAT) activity, glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content. The mRNA expression changes of apoptosis-related factors and cytokines genes, including Bax, Bcl-2, TNF-α, NF-κB, Caspase-3 and Nrf2, deeply uncovered the potential mechanism of hepatotoxicity caused by PTC and PTC-d. In brief, the results indicated that both of these two compounds altered oxidative status, then were likely to trigger caspase-3 by affecting the ratio of pro- and anti-apoptotic factors which belong to intrinsic apoptosis pathway. Specifically, more serious impacts were induced by PTC-d than its parent compound. This study is the first to provide specific insight into potential hepatotoxicity resulted from PTC and PTC-d in male Chinese lizards.