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The objective of this experiment was to determine the energy values and nutrient utilisation of five corns at starer (14–16 days) and grower (28–30 days) phases. The 1–5 corn samples were obtained from Jinzhou, Liaoning; Gongzhuling, Jilin; Qingdao, Shandong; Songyuan, Jilin and Xinxiang, Henan, China. Each phase of the trial consisted of six treatments with six replicates each. The number of birds per replicate was 4 (Days 14–16) and 2 (Days 28–30). Diets included a corn–soybean meal basal diet and five test diets contained 30% of each corn sample, which replaced 30% of the energy‐yielding components of the basal diet (as‐fed basis). The trial consisted of six cycles, each cycle was 7 days, including 4 days for adaptation to feed. On Day 4, the birds were transferred to the respiration chambers. In the following 3 days, total excreta were collected and daily heat production was measured. The apparent total tract retention of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract, and starch improved with age, showing the same trend as energy values. The nitrogen‐corrected metabolisable energy (AMEn) values for corn samples at the starter phase were in the range of 16.25–17.41 MJ/kg DM and at the grower phase were in the range of 17.23–17.60 MJ/kg DM. On the other hand, the net energy (NE) values of the five corn samples ranged from 9.93 to 11.67 MJ/kg DM during the starter period and from 11.19 to 12.27 MJ/kg DM during the grower period. The AMEn and NE values of the five corn samples were close to the literature values for corn. Results from our research indicated the nutrient digestibility and energy values of corn samples increase with the age of the broiler. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the development of nanotechnology, micro/nanorobots (MNRs) have become promising medical tools given their advantages of unconstrained and precisely controlled navigation. However, given the complexity of MNRs' dynamic biological environments and the limitations of current experimental methods, it remains challenging to simulate the motion mechanism, functional implementation strategy, and adaptability of MNRs in dynamic environments. Finite element analysis (FEA) plays an important role in MNR research; thorough review of state‐of‐the‐art research on MNRs. FEA is used to simulate MNRs motion mechanism, and theoretical models combined with experimental results are proposed to explain the motion mechanism. FEA can reduce the error rate of experiments. Combined with the simulation results, the optimal scheme is selected for experiments, and a reliable design strategy of MNRs is obtained. FEA has become a more effective method to obtain the optimal design of MNRs for in vivo applications. Therefore, herein, the design and driving mechanism of MNRs, the different solutions proposed for complex dynamic environments, and the use of FEA in the related research are introduced by this review. The current challenges and future research directions of FEA combined with external field‐driven MNRs are summarized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Here, we demonstrate a new electrochemical sensing mechanism of ammonium ions (NH4+) involving a two-electron oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) and a hydrazine reaction. The NH4+ are electrooxidized to hydrazine by H2O2 derived from the ORR over a self-supporting Ag/TiO2 nanotube array composite electrode modified by hematite (Ag/Fe2O3/TNTs). The Ag/Fe2O3/TNT sensor exhibits a high sensitivity of 1876 µA mM−1 cm−2 with a detection limit of 0.18 µM under non-alkaline conditions, a short response time of 3 s, good reproducibility, and fine selectivity among various interferents, and is also successfully used in real water bodies to display high accuracy. Furthermore, this new mechanism has a certain universality in a range of Ag (main catalyst)/transition metal oxide (cocatalyst)/TNT sensing systems. This work offers a new design basis for the urgently needed electrochemical ammonia nitrogen sensors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was done to compare the energy and nutrient utilisation of corn in Arbor Acres (AA) broilers and Beijing You (BJY) chickens. BJY chickens with the same age as AA broilers were named BJY1 chickens, and with the same body weight as AA broilers were named BJY2 chickens. Three groups of broilers (36 male AA broilers, 72 male BJY1 chickens, and 36 male BJY2 chickens), 2 treatments per group, 6 replicates per treatment, 3 chickens or 6 chickens per replicate. During each period, birds were fed in chambers for 11 days, including 5 days for adaptation to the feed, 3 days for excreta and gas data collection and another 3 days for fasting were recorded. Results showed that the fasting heat production (FHP) of AA, BJY1 and BJY2 chickens gradually stabilised after fasting for 72 h, the FHP of AA, BJY1 and BJY2 chickens were 486.54, 536.22 and 548.90 KJ/kg BW0.70/day respectively. AA broilers had significantly lower (p < 0.01) apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of starch in corn than that of BJY1 and BJY2 chickens, whereas there were no significant differences (p > 0.05) observed in ATTD of dry matter, crude protein, ether extract and crude fibre. The apparent metabolisable energy (AME) values of corn in AA, BJY1 and BJY2 chickens were 16.18, 16.81, and 16.39 MJ/kg dry matter (DM) and the corresponding nitrogen‐corrected AME (AMEn) values were 15.71, 16.38 and 15.99 MJ/kg DM respectively. The net energy (NE) values of corn in AA, BJY1 and BJY2 chickens were 12.03, 12.28 and 11.97 MJ/kg DM respectively. In conclusion, BJY chickens had a higher maintenance energy requirement than that of AA broilers, and AA broilers of the same age and weight as BJY chickens showed no significant differences in AME, AMEn and NE values of corn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]