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Simple Summary: Using dietary non-protein nitrogen is an effective way to decrease the dependence on protein resources in cattle production. N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) is a structural analogue of N-acetylglutamate (NAG), which is a precursor of endogenous Arg synthesis. NCG improves urea cycling and enhances the endogenous synthesis of Arg, nitric oxide synthase and NO. The present study showed that beef benefited from being fed NCG product in the urea diet by enhancing its growth and slaughter performance, meat quality, nitrogen metabolism and plasma amino acids. The objectives of this experiment were to investigate the effects of N-carbamylglutamate (NCG) on growth and slaughter performance, meat quality, nitrogen utilization, plasma antioxidant and amino acids of Holstein bulls. In this case, 24 Holstein bulls (490 ± 29.0 kg of body weights and 540 ± 6.1 d of age) were blocked by body weights and age and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups: (1) CON group: bulls were fed the control diet, (2) CON + NCG group: bulls were fed the control diet with 40 mg/kg BW NCG, (3) Urea group: bulls were fed the urea diet, and (4) Urea + NCG group: bulls were fed the urea diet with 40 mg/kg BW NCG. Feeding NCG significantly improved ADG, FCR, DM and CP digestibility, carcass weight, slaughter weight, DOP, eye muscle area, shear force (p = 0.001) and reduced L* of color, drip loss and cooking loss. Concurrently, feeding the urea diet induced a decreased ADG, carcass weight and slaughter weight, DOP, eye muscle area and shear force. NCG decreased contents of fecal N and urinary N, plasma urea in bulls and ammonia but increased N retention and utilization, plasma NO, plasma Arg, Leu, Ile and Tyr. On the other hand, feeding the urea diet increased urinary N, plasma urea and ammonia. Thus the study efficiently demonstrates that beef benefited from being fed a NCG product in the urea diet by enhancing its growth and slaughter performance, meat quality, nitrogen metabolism and plasma amino acids. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Subclinical hypocalcemia severely affects the lactation and health of dairy cows. Subclinical hypocalcemia is still a concern with cows after postpartum oral Ca; thus, the single treatment approach gradually has shifted to a multitreatment approach in terms of subclinical hypocalcemia. Supplementing 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 could solve the problem of insufficient vitamin D3 synthesis and blocked conversion in transition cows. The present study showed that feeding 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 combined with oral calcium not only improved serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 status and calcium homeostasis, but also had potential benefits on lactation performance and the health status during the transition period. Little information is available regarding the effect of supplementing 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 during the transition period combined with a postpartum oral calcium bolus on Ca homeostasis. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate the effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 combined with postpartum oral calcium bolus on lactation performance, serum minerals and vitamin D3 metabolites, blood biochemistry, and antioxidant and immune function in multiparous dairy cows. To evaluate the effects of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 combined with oral calcium, 48 multiparous Holstein cows were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: (1) supplementing 240 mg/day vitamin D3 without a postpartum oral Ca bolus (control), (2) supplementing 240 mg/day vitamin D3 with an oral Ca bolus containing 90 g of Ca immediately post-calving (Ca + VitD), (3) supplementing 6 g/day 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 without an oral Ca bolus (25D), and (4) supplementing 6 g/day 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 with an oral Ca bolus containing 90 g of Ca immediately post-calving (Ca + 25D). Lactation performance during the first 21 days was measured. Blood was collected at the initiation of calving and then 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21 days relative to the calving date. The yield of milk (0.05 < p < 0.10), energy-corrected milk (p < 0.05), 3.5% fat-corrected milk (p < 0.05), and milk protein (p < 0.05) were significantly higher in 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-treated groups within 3 weeks of lactation than in vitamin D3-treated cows. The iCa (p < 0.05) and tCa (p < 0.05) were higher in both Ca and 25D + Ca cows than in the control and 25D groups within 48 h. The concentrations of serum tCa (p < 0.05), tP (p < 0.05), and 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 (p < 0.05) in 25D and 25D + Ca cows were higher than those in control and Ca cows within 21 days postpartum. Feeding 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 also showed a lower concentration of malondialdehyde (p < 0.05), interleukin 6 (p < 0.05), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) (p < 0.05), as well as a higher concentration of alkaline phosphatase (p < 0.05), total antioxidant capacity (p < 0.05), and immunoglobulin G (p < 0.05) than vitamin D3. Supplementing Ca bolus also showed lower concentrations of alanine transaminase (p < 0.05) and TNF-α (p < 0.05). In conclusion, supplementing 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 during the transition period combined with a postpartum oral calcium bolus improved lactation performance, Ca homeostasis, and antioxidant and immune function of medium-production dairy cows within 21 days postpartum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of both state (e.g., soil moisture) and flux (e.g., actual evapotranspiration (ETa) and groundwater recharge (GR)) hydrological variables across vadose zones is critical for understanding ecohydrological and land-surface processes. In this study, a one-dimensional process-based vadose zone model with generated soil hydraulic parameters was utilized to simulate soil moisture, ETa, and GR. Daily hydrometeorological data were obtained from different climate zones to drive the vadose zone model. On the basis of the field phenomenon of soil moisture temporal stability, reasonable soil moisture spatiotemporal structures were reproduced from the model. The modeling results further showed that the dependence of ETa and GR on soil hydraulic properties varied considerably with climatic conditions. In particular, the controls of soil hydraulic properties on ETa and GR greatly weakened at the site with an arid climate. In contrast, the distribution of mean relative difference (MRD) of soil moisture was still significantly correlated with soil hydraulic properties (most notably residual soil moisture content) under arid climatic conditions. As such, the correlations of MRD with ETa and GR differed across different climate regimes. In addition, the simulation results revealed that samples with average moisture conditions did not necessarily produce average values of ETa and GR (and vice versa), especially under wet climatic conditions. The loose connection between average state and flux hydrological variables across vadose zones is partly because of the high non-linearity of subsurface processes, which leads to the complex interactions of soil moisture, ETa, and GR with soil hydraulic properties. This study underscores the importance of using soil moisture information from multiple sites for inferring areal average values of ETa and GR, even with the knowledge of representative sites that can be used to monitor areal average moisture conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A correct quantification of mass and energy exchange processes among Earth's land surface, groundwater and atmosphere requires an accurate parameterization of soil hydraulic properties. Pedotransfer functions (PTFs) are useful in this regard because they estimate these otherwise difficult to obtain characteristics using texture and other ubiquitous soils data. In this presentation, we first present our recent work that improved a widely used Rosetta PTF model (Rosetta3) that unifies the water retention and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) submodels into one and utilizes parameter uncertainty of the fit of the water retention curve to the original retention data in the calibration procedure. Most PTFs estimate parameters of empirical hydraulic functions with modest accuracy. We developed a PTF that estimates the parameters of the Kosugi functions (Kosugi 1994, 1996), which explicitly assume a lognormal pore size distribution and apply the Young-Laplace equation to derive a corresponding pressure head distribution. Using a combination of machine learning and bootstrapping, we developed five hierarchical models that allow for estimates under practical data-poor to data-rich conditions. Using an independent global dataset containing nearly 50,000 samples (118,000 retention points) we demonstrated that the new PTF outperformed two van Genuchten-based PTFs calibrated on the same data. The PTF was applied to a 1×1 km2 map of texture and bulk density, thus producing maps of the parameters, field capacity, wilting point, plant available water, and associated uncertainties. Finally, 13 widely used PTFs were grouped according to input data requirements and evaluated against independent global dataset. Weighted ensembles were shown to have improved performance over individual PTFs in terms of root mean square error and other model selection criteria. Global maps of soil water retention data from the ensemble models as well as their uncertainty were provided. Our full 13-member ensemble model provides more accurate estimates than PTFs that are currently being used in earth system models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of site investigations have demonstrated that vadose zones serve as significant long-term sources of PFAS to groundwater. Quantifying PFAS leaching in the vadose zone and mass discharge to groundwater is therefore critical for characterizing, managing, and mitigating long-term contamination risks. Mathematical models representing the PFAS-specific transport and retention processes, including surfactant-induced flow, and rate-limited, nonlinear adsorption at solid–water and air–water interfaces, have been recently developed. While these advanced models provide fundamental insights into the primary processes controlling the long-term retention of PFAS, they are less suitable for screening-type applications due to significant computational cost and the requirement for detailed input parameters. To address this knowledge gap, we develop a simplified model by assuming steady-state infiltration and linear solid-phase and air–water interfacial adsorption; a two-domain model is used to represent kinetic solid-phase adsorption. We derive novel analytical solutions for the simplified model allowing for arbitrary initial conditions. The newly derived analytical solutions are then validated by application to miscible-displacement experiments under a wide range of conditions and by comparisons to a state-of-the-art comprehensive model under both experimental and field conditions applicable to PFAS-contamination sites. Overall, the simplified analytical model provides an efficient and accurate screening-type tool for quantifying long-term PFAS leaching in the vadose zone. [Display omitted] • We develop a simplified mathematical model representing the PFAS-specific transport and retention processes. • New analytical solutions are derived for the simplified model allowing for arbitrary initial conditions. • Validations by miscible-displacement experiments and comparisons to a full-process model are presented. • The analytical solution provides an efficient and accurate screening-type tool for quantifying vadose-zone PFAS leaching. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To improve the qualities of corn gluten meal, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and acid protease were used for solid state fermentation and wheat bran was used as a carbon source supplement, and the nutritional value, antioxidant capacity and bioavailability were evaluated. The results showed that the contents of crude protein, ash, small peptide, free amino acids, total phenol and lactic acid in corn gluten-wheat bran mixture (CWM) significantly increased after fermentation, whereas the neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and starch contents in fermented CWM (FCWM) were lower than in CWM (P < 0.05). Fermentation process significantly (P < 0.05) increased the reducing power and the DPPH, hydroxyl and superoxide anion radical scavenging capacity of CWM. Furthermore, FCWM also showed the ability to improve the growth performance and relieve weaning stress of calves. Overall, fermentation with LAB and acid protease improved nutritional value, antioxidant capacity and bioavailability of CWM, which provided a feasible solution for the application of corn gluten meal in animal feed. • Fermentation improved the nutritional value of corn gluten-wheat bran mixture (CWM). • Fermentation improved the in vitro antioxidant capacity of CWM. • Fermentation improved the bioavailability of CWM in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Production of bioactive peptides from corn gluten meal (CGM) by solid-state fermentation (SSF) with Bacillus subtilis MTCC5480 (BS5480) and the antioxidant capacity in vivo were investigated in the present study. During the SSF process, CGM peptides (CGMP) production reached a maximum (369.4 mg/gdp) when the fermentation conditions were as follows: temperature, 36 °C; initial pH, 6.0; moisture, 46%; inoculation size, 5.8 × 109 spores/g; time, 5 d; peptone, 5 mg/g; and glucose, 10.7 mg/g. In addition, the d -galactose-induced aging rats fed CGMP (molecular weight < 10 kDa) exhibited increased activities of total superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase and total antioxidant capacity in the serum and liver and a decreased malondialdehyde concentration, which indicated that CGMP had good in vivo antioxidant capacity. Overall, SSF with BS5480 is an effective way for converting CGM into CGMP that may be used as a natrual antioxidant. • SSF is used for the first time to produce bioactive peptides form CGM. • Process optimizations enhance the CGMP production in SSF using B. subtilis MTCC5480. • CGMP exhibited strong antioxidant capacity in vivo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Kalman filter and smoother are employed to utilize the uncalibrated data. • Linear bias-correction algorithm and data assimilation method are coupled. • Soil water content calibration model is established without field experiment. • Calibration model can be used to preprocess future raw soil water content data. Accurate measurements of soil moisture are essential for hydrological, agricultural and environmental sciences. Among many indirect measurement approaches, Frequency-Domain Reflectometry (FDR) soil moisture sensors are popular but are prone to be affected by many factors (e.g., temperature, bulk density, texture, mineralogy) at different installation sites. To avoid the enormous effort required for site-specific FDR calibration, we propose a calibration-free framework, in which a linear calibration model (that links FDR observation and true soil moisture) is incorporated. Based on the classical bias-blind methods using the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the iterative ensemble smoother (IES), two such bias-aware data assimilation methods are developed to simultaneously identify the unknown hydraulic and the linear calibration parameters based on uncalibrated FDR observations as well as meteorological data. We thoroughly discuss the effects of various factors (i.e., observation noise and number of observations, ensemble size, number of unknown parameters and two potential model errors) on their performances in the synthetic cases and make an application in a real-world case, besides comparing them with their previous versions simultaneously. In particular, the linear calibration model coupled with IES is more favored. From a pragmatic point of view, we demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed approaches in calibrating the FDR data in an online manner with easily-accessible meteorological data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Physical model and machine learning are compared for simulating soil moisture. • The effects of model assumptions and observation errors are investigated. • Their performances under extrapolation and different soil water dynamics are discussed. Soil moisture plays a critical role as an essential component of the global water resources by regulating mass and energy exchange between land surface and atmosphere. Quantification of these exchange processes requires accurate characterization and simulation of soil water movement. Physically-based models (PBMs) and machine learning methods (MLMs) can both be used in soil moisture simulation. However, their performances in soil water simulation have only been compared in a limited number of cases. Moreover, almost all of them are conducted in field studies each with fixed soil, initial condition, and boundary condition. Here, we developed three artificial neural network (ANN) frameworks, and made clearer and more systematic comparisons between them and a PBM—Ross numerical model solving Richards equation and parameter estimation using a data assimilation approach (iterative ensemble smoother, Ross-IES) in synthetic and real-world conditions. Compared with the ANNs, Ross-IES is more significantly affected by physical model uncertainties such as soil heterogeneity, initial and boundary conditions, while both methods are affected by observation noise. For Ross-IES, the errors from boundary conditions and hydraulic parameter conceptualization are found to be more prominent than that of observation noise and therefore are suggested to be identified first. Meanwhile, the ANNs have difficulty in simulating the peaks and troughs of the soil water time series as well as in situations where the soil moisture is constantly saturated. ANNs yield a superior simulation when the nonlinear relationship between the response variables and driving data is weak, while the performance of Ross-IES is governed by the prior soil hydraulic information. In addition, Ross-IES approach requires much higher computational cost than the ANNs. ANN-MS performs best among the three ANN-based machine learning models and demonstrates great data mining ability and robustness against overfitting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Correlation length was introduced to produce the critical strain random field. • An improved physically-based model simulated the dynamic cracking of the soil. • Experiments were carried out in the field to confirm the reliability of the model. • Numerical simulation and model sensitivity analysis were conducted. Cracks are common in nature and affect a number of soil properties. They increase the soil permeability, reduce the soil strength and stability, and thus affect the growth of plant roots. Characterization of crack networks in clay soils is needed to quantify the soil-plant relationships. This paper presents a numerical model of the desiccation cracking process, which is based on a lattice of Hookean springs with finite strength and critical strain. A new parameter, i.e., correlation length of critical strain, was used to reflect the spatially-correlated heterogeneity of the soil and to construct a critical strain random field. Three morphological parameters, which are indicators of quantitative crack analysis (i.e., area densities, length densities, and Euler number), were used to describe the spatial distribution and morphological connectivity of cracks. Field experimental results were used to evaluate the numerical model. The results showed that the model replicates the dynamic development of the crack network in nature and the general trends of shrinkage due to drying and crack development observed in the field. In addition, crack formation dynamics and final crack patterns were evaluated during the sensitivity analysis of correlation length. The model's simulation of surface soil cracking was effective in predicting the formation of farmland soil cracks in clay soils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The relationship of ruminal OBCFA (odd- and branched- chain fatty acids) with duodenal bacterial nitrogen and was significantly influenced by the forage ratio of diets. • Rumianl and duodenal volatile fatty acids were changed with feeding time. • Ruminal OBCFAs should be used to predict bacterial nigtrogen flow in the duodenum. The objectives of the present research were to investigate the changes in duodenal bacterial nitrogen flow and volatile fatty acids (VFAs) with the different dietary ratios of forage and concentrate (F:C) and to determine the relationship of duodenal bacterial nitrogen flow and volatile fatty acids with ruminal odd- and branched-chain fatty acids (OBCFAs). The experimental design was a 3 × 3 Latin square. Three rumen- and duodenal-fistulated dry Holstein cows were fed three rations with different dietary ratios of forage and concentrate (F:C; 30:70, 50:50 and 70:30). The rumen and duodenal samples were collected every two hours over 3 consecutive days of each sampling period. The determined parameters included OBCFA profiles in the rumen, duodenal bacterial nitrogen flow, VFAs, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) content and pH. The results showed that ruminal OBCFA contents, duodenal bacterial nitrogen flow, VFAs, ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) and pH were significantly influenced by the different dietary F:C ratios and sampling times (P < 0.01). The ruminal contents of C15:0 and C15:0 + C17:0 were positively related to the molar proportions of duodenal acetate but negatively correlated with the propionate, butyrate and NH3-N contents (P < 0.05). The ruminal C15:0/C17:0 ratio was positively correlated with the proportions of acetate and pH (P < 0.05) but negatively correlated with VFA contents in the duodenum (P < 0.05). The duodenal bacterial nitrogen flow was positively correlated with ruminal C11:0 and isoC17:0 contents (P < 0.05) but negatively correlated with C15:0/C17:0 and isoC15:0/isoC17:0 (P < 0.05). These findings suggested that some ruminal OBCFAs are closely related to the microbial nitrogen and volatile fatty acids in duodenal flow and significantly changed with the proportion of forage in diets. Ruminal OBCFA have the potential to predict microbial nitrogen flow, and the predicted equations for duodenal microbial nitrogen flow were established with OBCFAs in the rumen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Traditional predict cow's diet energy digestion may be limited by parametric model. • KELM-based prediction model is a typical non-parametric model. • KELM-based technique outperforms LR-based method in predicting DE and ED. • KELM-based model is superior to other non-parametric ones predicting DE and ED. In order to effectively evaluate the diet nutritional and feeding value, it is essential to accurately predict the indicators of diet energy digestion of dairy cows, thus further optimizing feed formulation and improving feeding management. Traditional mathematical models used to predict the main indicators of diet energy digestion of dairy cows are usually based on linear regression (LR) method. However, as a typical parametric model, the LR-based method is limited by regression function assumption, and the inaccurate assumed function sometimes leads to the learned regression model biased from the ground-truth one. In this study, we propose a kernel extreme learning machine (KELM) technique to predict the indicators of Holstein dry cows' diet digestible energy (DE) and energy digestibility (ED). KELM is a typical non-parametric machine learning model, which does not require any specific assumptions about the regression function in advance. The learned modal by KELM can well fit the actual one only by learning the training sample data in most cases. To evaluate prediction accuracy effectively, we compared the KELM technique with traditional parametric prediction LR model and other commonly used non-parametric models such as radial basis function artificial neural network, support vector machine and standard extreme learning machine methods. The required sample data is obtained from actual feeding and digestion experiments. The prediction results indicate that the proposed KELM-based prediction technique is superior to other methods in most performance metrics for prediction of the DE and ED indicators of diet energy digestion of Holstein dry cows. In particular, it has higher prediction accuracy than traditional LR-based prediction method, and can predict DE and ED better under small samples conditions. The developed KELM-based prediction model may be utilized to provide key decision support information to animal nutrition experts, livestock farmers and feed suppliers. The presented model is also exploited as a potential tool for accurate evaluation of dairy cows diet feeding effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A study was conducted to evaluate the effects of inoculation with a combination of Bacillus licheniformis (1.0813) , Yeast (ACCC20060) and Lactobacillus (ACCC10637) on the nutrient characteristics and sensory properties of rapeseed meal (RSM) and to investigate the bioavailability by in vivo and in vitro experiments. The results showed that the soluble protein content, lactic acid content and total amino acid content increased significantly (P<0.05) after 3 d of fermentation, whereas the glucosinolate content and neutral detergent fiber content decreased significantly (P<0.05). Most RSM proteins were degraded to small peptides with molecular weights less than 9.5 kDa by microbial fermentation. The in vitro degradation rate of the dry matter and crude protein of fermented RSM (FRSM) significantly increased (P<0.05), and the productivity performances of three yellow broiler chickens were improved by addition of FRSM to the diet. In conclusion, the selected inoculant and fermentation method established can improve the nutritional value, sensory properties and bioavailability of RSM. • Fermentation by Bacillus licheniformis (1.0813), Yeast (ACCC20060) and. • Lactobacillus (ACCC10637) can increase the nutritional value of rapeseed meal. • The sensory properties of rapeseed meal improved after fermentation. • Fermented rapeseed meal exhibits increased bioavailability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To analyze the factors related to Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in patients with severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) and to observe the effect of Hp on SAP, and to provide a reference for future clinical prevention and treatment of Hp infection in SAP., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed on 77 SAP patients admitted to Pingxiang People's Hospital between January 2020 and February 2022, with 33 Hp-infected individuals as the Hp-positive group and the other 44 patients being without Hp infection served as the Hp-negative group. First, the related factors of Hp infection in SAP patients were analyzed with multiple Logistic regression. Subsequently, the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II (APACHE II), Bedside Index for Severity in Acute Pancreatitis (BISAP) and Modified CT Severity Index (MCTSI) scores, as well as the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), white blood cell (WBC), procalcitonin (PCT) and immunoglobulins A/M/G (IgA, IgM, and IgG) were recorded for inter-group comparisons. The adverse reactions and hospitalization time were also recorded. Besides, a six-month follow-up was carried out after discharge, and patients' quality of life was evaluated using the Short-Form 36 Item Health Survey (SF-36)., Results: Logistic regression analysis identified that history of Hp infection, long-term drinking, eating habits and history of biliary tract diseases were independent risk factors for Hp infection (all P<0.05). At 2 weeks after admission, higher APACHE II, BISAP and MCTSI scores were observed in Hp-positive group compared with Hp-negative group (all P<0.05). The Hp-positive group exhibited higher CRP, WBC and PCT levels while lower IgA, IgM and IgG levels during treatment compared to the Hp-negative group (all P<0.05). No difference was found in the incidence of adverse reactions between the two groups (P>0.05), but the hospitalization time of the Hp-positive group was significantly prolonged (P<0.05). The follow-up results determined better quality of life in the Hp-negative group, which resulted in higher SF-36 scores in various dimensions (P<0.05)., Conclusion: The history of Hp infection, long-term drinking, eating habits, and history of biliary tract diseases are all independent risk factors for Hp infection. Hp infection exacerbates disease progression of SAP, adversely influences patients' recovery, impairs their immune function, and compromises their prognoses., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2024.)

Background: C16:0 and cis-9 C18:1 may have different effects on animal growth and health due to unique metabolism in vivo. This study was investigated to explore the different effects of altering the ratio of C16:0 and cis-9 C18:1 in fat supplements on growth performance, lipid metabolism, intestinal barrier, cecal microbiota, and inflammation in fattening bulls. Thirty finishing Angus bulls (626 ± 69 kg, 21 ± 0.5 months) were divided into 3 treatments according to the randomized block design: (1) control diet without additional fat (CON), (2) CON + 2.5% palmitic acid calcium salt (PA, 90% C16:0), and (3) CON + 2.5% mixed fatty acid calcium salt (MA, 60% C16:0 + 30% cis-9 C18:1). The experiment lasted for 104 d, after which all the bulls were slaughtered and sampled for analysis., Results: MA tended to reduce 0-52 d dry matter intake compared to PA (DMI, P = 0.052). Compared with CON and MA, PA significantly increased 0-52 d average daily gain (ADG, P = 0.027). PA tended to improve the 0-52 d feed conversion rate compared with CON (FCR, P = 0.088). Both PA and MA had no significant effect on 52-104 days of DMI, ADG and FCR (P > 0.05). PA tended to improve plasma triglycerides compared with MA (P = 0.077), significantly increased plasma cholesterol (P = 0.002) and tended to improve subcutaneous adipose weight (P = 0.066) when compared with CON and MA. Both PA and MA increased visceral adipose weight compared with CON (P = 0.021). Only PA increased the colonization of Rikenellaceae, Ruminococcus and Proteobacteria in the cecum, and MA increased Akkermansia abundance (P < 0.05). Compared with CON, both PA and MA down-regulated the mRNA expression of Claudin-1 in the jejunum (P < 0.001), increased plasma diamine oxidase (DAO, P < 0.001) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS, P = 0.045). Compared with CON and MA, PA down-regulated the ZO-1 in the jejunum (P < 0.001) and increased plasma LPS-binding protein (LBP, P < 0.001). Compared with CON, only PA down-regulated the Occludin in the jejunum (P = 0.013). Compared with CON, PA and MA significantly up-regulated the expression of TLR-4 and NF-κB in the visceral adipose (P < 0.001) and increased plasma IL-6 (P < 0.001). Compared with CON, only PA up-regulated the TNF-α in the visceral adipose (P = 0.01). Compared with CON and MA, PA up-regulated IL-6 in the visceral adipose (P < 0.001), increased plasma TNF-α (P < 0.001), and reduced the IgG content in plasma (P = 0.035). Compared with CON, PA and MA increased C16:0 in subcutaneous fat and longissimus dorsi muscle (P < 0.05), while more C16:0 was also deposited by extension and desaturation into C18:0 and cis-9 C18:1. However, neither PA nor MA affected the content of cis-9 C18:1 in longissimus dorsi muscle compared with CON (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: MA containing 30% cis-9 C18:1 reduced the risk of high C16:0 dietary fat induced subcutaneous fat obesity, adipose tissue and systemic low-grade inflammation by accelerating fatty acid oxidative utilization, improving colonization of Akkermansia, reducing intestinal barrier damage, and down-regulating NF-κB activation., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The objective of this work is to investigate the chemical and nutritional value of milk thistle meal (MTM) in order to improve it and to provide theoretical support for its application in dairy cattle production. MTM was assessed in comparison with seven conventional protein feed sources, namely, soybean meal (SBM), cottonseed meal (CS), canola meal (CN), palm kernel meal (PK), rice bran meal (RB), corn germ meal (CG), and sesame meal (SS). The chemical composition of these feedstuffs was assessed using wet chemical analysis, the Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System was used to evaluate the carbohydrate and protein fractions, and the in situ nylon bag technique and the modified three-step in vitro method were used to assess the rumen degradation and intestinal digestibility. Additionally, Fourier transform infrared technology was used to determine the feedstuff protein spectral molecular structure and its amino acid profile was also assessed. The result showed that MTM acid detergent fiber, lignin, unavailable nitrogen, and non-degradable carbohydrate content were higher than those of the other feedstuffs. It had a 17% and 36% rumen effective degradation rate of neutral detergent fiber and dry matter, respectively, and had the lowest small intestinal rumen undegradable protein digestibility rate. It was low in leucine, histidine, arginine, and proline, but high in methionine. The total area of amide I and amide II in the protein secondary structure was similar to that of CN and CS, and the amide I and II ratio was not different from that of RB. To sum up, MTM has a poor carbohydrate composition and is high in fiber but, in comparison to most other protein feeds, has a higher crude protein rumen effective degradation rate, similar to that of SBM, and it is a good source of methionine, a limiting amino acid. Hence, its nutritional value can be further improved for application in dairy feeding through processes such as microbial or enzymatic fermentation.

The gut microbiome plays an important role in the healthy and efficient farming of dairy cows. However, high-dimensional microbial information is difficult to interpret in a simplified manner. We collected fecal samples from 161 cows and performed 16S amplicon sequencing. We developed an interpretable machine learning framework to classify individuals based on their milk urea nitrogen (MUN) concentrations. In this framework, we address the challenge of handling high-dimensional microbial data imbalances and identify 9 microorganisms strongly correlated with MUN. We introduce the Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) method to provide insights into the machine learning predictions. The results of the study showed that the performance of the machine learning model improved (accuracy = 72.7%) after feature selection on high-dimensional data. Among the 9 microorganisms, g&#95;&#95;Firmicutes&#95;unclassified had the greatest impact in the model. This study provides a reference for precision animal husbandry., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study evaluated the effects of different proportions of palmitic (C16:0) and oleic ( cis -9 C18:1) acids in fat supplements on rumen fermentation, glucose (GLU) and lipid metabolism, antioxidant function, and visceral fat fatty acid (FA) composition in Angus bulls. The design of the experiment was a randomized block design with 3 treatments of 10 animals each. A total of 30 finishing Angus bulls (21 ± 0.5 months) with an initial body weight of 626 ± 69 kg were blocked by weight into 10 blocks, with 3 bulls per block. The bulls in each block were randomly assigned to one of three experimental diets: (1) control diet without additional fat (CON), (2) CON + 2.5% palmitic calcium salt (PA; 90% C16:0), (3) CON + 2.5% mixed FA calcium salts (MA; 60% C16:0 + 30% cis -9 C18:1). Both fat supplements increased C18:0 and cis -9 C18:1 in visceral fat ( P  < 0.05) and up-regulated the expression of liver FA transport protein 5 ( FATP5 ; P  < 0.001). PA increased the insulin concentration ( P  < 0.001) and aspartate aminotransferase activity (AST; P  = 0.030) in bull's blood while reducing the GLU concentration ( P  = 0.009). PA increased the content of triglycerides (TG; P  = 0.014) in the liver, the content of the C16:0 in visceral fat ( P  = 0.004), and weight gain ( P  = 0.032), and up-regulated the expression of liver diacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 ( DGAT2 ;  P  < 0.001) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 ( SCD1 ; P  < 0.05). MA increased plasma superoxide dismutase activity (SOD; P  = 0.011), reduced the concentration of acetate and total volatile FA (VFA) in rumen fluid ( P  < 0.05), and tended to increase plasma non-esterified FA (NEFA; P  = 0.069) concentrations. Generally, high C16:0 fat supplementation increased weight gain in Angus bulls and triggered the risk of fatty liver, insulin resistance, and reduced antioxidant function. These adverse effects were alleviated by partially replacing C16:0 with cis -9 C18:1., Competing Interests: We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, and there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the content of this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Aerosol ammonium (NH 4 + ), mainly produced from the reactions of ammonia (NH 3 ) with acids in the atmosphere, has significant impacts on air pollution, radiative forcing, and human health. Understanding the source and formation mechanism of NH 4 + can provide scientific insights into air quality improvements. However, the sources of NH 3 in urban areas are not well understood, and few studies focus on NH 3 /NH 4 + at different heights within the atmospheric boundary layer, which hinders a comprehensive understanding of aerosol NH 4 + . In this study, we perform both field observation and modeling studies (the Community Multiscale Air Quality, CMAQ) to investigate regional NH 3 emission sources and vertically resolved NH 4 + formation mechanisms during the winter in Beijing. Both stable nitrogen isotope analyses and CMAQ model suggest that combustion-related NH 3 emissions, including fossil fuel sources, NH 3 slip, and biomass burning, are important sources of aerosol NH 4 + with more than 60% contribution occurring on heavily polluted days. In contrast, volatilization-related NH 3 sources (livestock breeding, N-fertilizer application, and human waste) are dominant on clean days. Combustion-related NH 3 is mostly local from Beijing, and biomass burning is likely an important NH 3 source (∼15%-20%) that was previously overlooked. More effective control strategies such as the two-product (e.g., reducing both SO 2 and NH 3 ) control policy should be considered to improve air quality., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Science China Press. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study is to identify an alternative approach for simulating the in vitro fermentation and quantifying the production of rumen methane and rumen acetic acid during the rumen fermentation process with different total mixed rations. In this experiment, dietary nutrient compositions (neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), crude protein (CP), and dry matter (DM)) were selected as input parameters to establish three prediction models for rumen fermentation parameters (methane and acetic acid): an artificial neural network model, a genetic algorithm-bp model, and a support vector machine model. The research findings show that the three models had similar simulation results that aligned with the measured data trends (R 2 ≥ 0.83). Additionally, the root mean square errors (RMSEs) were ≤1.85 mL/g in the rumen methane model and ≤2.248 mmol/L in the rumen acetic acid model. Finally, this study also demonstrates the models' capacity for generalization through an independent verification experiment, as they effectively predicted outcomes even when significant trial factors were manipulated. These results suggest that machine learning-based in vitro rumen models can serve as a valuable tool for quantifying rumen fermentation parameters, guiding the optimization of dietary structures for dairy cows, rapidly screening methane-reducing feed options, and enhancing feeding efficiency.

Little information exists on the variation in morphological characteristics, nutritional value, ruminal degradability, and molecular structural makeup of diverse whole-plant silage corn (WPSC) cultivars among different growing regions. This study investigated the between-regions (Beijing, Urumchi, Cangzhou, Liaoyuan, Tianjin) discrepancies in five widely used WPSC cultivars in China (FKBN, YQ889, YQ23, DK301 and ZD958), in terms of 1) morphological characteristics; 2) crude protein (CP) chemical profile; 3) Cornell Net Carbohydrate and Protein System (CNCPS) CP subfractions; 4) in situ CP degradation kinetics; and 5) CP molecular structures. Our results revealed significant growing region and WPSC cultivar interaction for all estimated morphological characteristics (P < 0.001), CP chemical profile (P < 0.001), CNCPS subfractions (P < 0.001) and CP molecular structural features (P < 0.05). Except ear weight (P = 0.18), all measured morphological characteristics varied among different growing regions (P < 0.001). Besides, WPSC cultivars planted in different areas had remarkably different CP chemical profiles and CNCPS subfractions (P < 0.001). All spectral parameters of protein primary structure of WPSC differed (P < 0.05) due to the growing regions, except amide II area (P = 0.28). Finally, the area ratio of amide I to II was negatively correlated with the contents of soluble CP (δ = -0.66; P = 0.002), CP (δ = -0.61; P = 0.006), non-protein nitrogen (δ = -0.56; P = 0.004) and acid detergent insoluble CP (δ = -0.43; P = 0.008), in conjunction with a positive correlation with moderately degradable CP (PB1; δ = 0.58; P = 0.01). In conclusion, the cultivar of DK301 exhibited high and stable CP content. The WPSC planted in Beijing showed high CP, SCP and NPN. The low rumen degradable protein of WPSC was observed in Urumchi. Meanwhile, above changes in protein profiles and digestibility were strongly connected with the ratio of amide I and amide II., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Zhang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Animal nutritionists have incessantly worked towards providing livestock with high-quality plant protein feed resources. Soybean meal (SBM) has been an essential and predominantly adopted vegetable protein source in livestock feeding for a long time; however, several SBM antinutrients could potentially impair the animal's performance and growth, limiting its use. Several processing methods have been employed to remove SBM antinutrients, including fermentation with fungal or bacterial microorganisms. According to the literature, fermentation, a traditional food processing method, could improve SBM's nutritional and functional properties, making it more suitable and beneficial to livestock. The current interest in health-promoting functional feed, which can enhance the growth of animals, improve their immune system, and promote physiological benefits more than conventional feed, coupled with the ban on the use of antimicrobial growth promoters, has caused a renewed interest in the use of fermented SBM (FSBM) in livestock diets. This review details the mechanism of SBM fermentation and its impacts on animal health and discusses the recent trend in the application and emerging advantages to livestock while shedding light on the research gap that needs to be critically addressed in future studies. FSBM appears to be a multifunctional high-quality plant protein source for animals. Besides removing soybean antinutrients, beneficial bioactive peptides and digestive enzymes are produced during fermentation, providing probiotics, antioxidants, and immunomodulatory effects. Critical aspects regarding FSBM feeding to animals remain uncharted, such as the duration of fermentation, the influence of feeding on digestive tissue development, choice of microbial strain, and possible environmental impact., Competing Interests: We declare that we have no financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that can inappropriately influence our work, and there is no professional or other personal interest of any nature or kind in any product, service and/or company that could be construed as influencing the content of this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

This study used Silibinin as an additive to conduct fermentation experiments, wherein its effects on rumen gas production, fermentation, metabolites, and microbiome were analyzed in vitro . The silibinin inclusion level were 0 g/L (control group), 0.075 g/L, 0.15 g/L, 0.30 g/L, and 0.60 g/L (experimental group). Fermentation parameters, total gas production, carbon dioxide (CO 2 ), methane (CH 4 ), hydrogen (H 2 ), and their percentages were determined. Further analysis of the rumen microbiome's relative abundance and α/β diversity was performed on the Illumina NovaSeq sequencing platform. Qualitative and quantitative metabolomics analyses were performed to analyze the differential metabolites and metabolic pathways based on non-targeted metabolomics. The result indicated that with an increasing dose of silibinin, there was a linear reduction in total gas production, CO 2 , CH 4 , H 2 and their respective percentages, and the acetic acid to propionic acid ratio. Concurrent with a linear increase in pH, when silibinin was added at 0.15 g/L and above, the total volatile fatty acid concentration decreased, the acetic acid molar ratio decreased, the propionic acid molar ratio increased, and dry matter digestibility decreased. At the same time, the relative abundance of Prevotella , Isotricha , Ophryoscolex , unclassified&#95;Rotifera , Methanosphaera , Orpinomyces , and Neocallimastix in the rumen decreased after adding 0.60 g/L of silibinin. Simultaneously, the relative abundance of Succiniclasticum , NK4A214&#95;group , Candidatus&#95;Saccharimonas , and unclassified&#95;Lachnospiraceae increased, altering the rumen species composition, community, and structure. Furthermore, it upregulated the ruminal metabolites, such as 2-Phenylacetamide, Phlorizin, Dalspinin, N6-(1,2-Dicarboxyethyl)-AMP, 5,6,7,8-Tetrahydromethanopterin, Flavin mononucleotide adenine dinucleotide reduced form (FMNH), Pyridoxine 5'-phosphate, Silibinin, and Beta-D-Fructose 6-phosphate, affecting phenylalanine metabolism, flavonoid biosynthesis, and folate biosynthesis pathways. In summary, adding silibinin can alter the rumen fermentation parameters and mitigate enteric methane production by regulating rumen microbiota and metabolites, which is important for developing novel rumen methane inhibitors., Competing Interests: YS was employed by Beijing Sunlon Livestock Development Company Limited. The remaining authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Liu, Shen, Ma, Li, Lambo, Dai, Shen, Qu and Zhang.)

This study evaluated the effects of changing the ratio of palmitic, stearic, and oleic acids in dietary fat on nutritional metabolism, growth performance, and meat quality of finishing Angus bulls. Bulls received the following three treatments: (1) a control diet without fat supplement (CON), (2) CON + mixed fatty acid supplement (58% C16:0 + 28% cis-9 C18:1; MIX), (3) CON + saturated fatty acid supplement (87% C16:0 + 10% C18:0; SFA). In summary, both fat treatment diets simultaneously increased saturated fatty acids C16:0 (P = 0.025), C18:0 (P < 0.001) and total monounsaturated fatty acids (P = 0.008) in muscle, thus balancing the ratio of unsaturated to saturated fatty acids in muscle. MIX diet increased the digestibility of dry matter (P = 0.014), crude protein (P = 0.038), and ether extract (P = 0.036). SFA diet increased the daily gain (P = 0.032) and intramuscular fat content (P = 0.043). The high content of C16:0 and C18:0 in the SFA diet promoted weight gain and fat deposition of beef cattle by increasing feed intake, up-regulating the expression of lipid uptake genes and increasing deposition of total fatty acids, resulting in better growth performance and meat quality., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest in the study., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

This study aimed to determine changes and interactions of ruminal microbiota and chemical parameters in dairy cows fed FTMR. Twelve multiparous Holstein dairy cows (Body weight = 616 ± 13.4 kg; day in milk = 106 ± 7.55 d; and parity = 2.31 ± 0.49; mean ± standard deviation) were divided randomly into two treatments depending on the day in milk, milk production, and parity. The two treatments were: (1) total mixed ration (TMR) and (2) FTMR. Illumina MiSeq sequencing was used to explore the changes in the ruminal microbiota. The results revealed that the bacterial and fungal diversity of the FTMR group were significantly higher than the TMR group. The predominant microbiota phyla in the bacteria and fungi showed significant differences between TMR and FTMR, as follows: Verrucomicrobia ( p = 0.03) and Tenericutes ( p = 0.01), Ascomycota ( p = 0.04) and Basidiomycota ( p = 0.04). The dominant bacterial genera in the bacteria, fungi, protozoan, and archaea that showed significant differences between TMR and FTMR were Unclassified&#95; Bacteroidales ( p = 0.02), Unclassified&#95;RFP12 ( p = 0.03), Candida ( p = 0.0005), Bullera ( p = 0.002), Cryptococcus ( p = 0.007), and Ostracodinium ( p = 0.01). LefSe analysis was performed to reveal the biomarker genera of the rumen microbiota community (bacteria, fungi, protozoan, and archaea) in the TMR and FTMR were the genera Shuttleworthia , Ruminococcus, Cryptococcus , Mycosphaerella , Bullera , Candida , and Ostracodinium . NH 3 -N concentration ( p < 0.0001), total VFA concentration ( p = 0.003), and molar proportion in total VFA of acetate ( p = 0.01) were higher for the cows fed FTMR compared with the cows fed the TMR. Several bacterial genera showed significant correlations with rumen fermentation parameters. The genus Unclassified&#95; Bacteroidales and Bullera were positively correlated with total volatile fatty acids (VFA) and acetate, whereas Candida and Ostracodinium showed negative correlations. Meanwhile, propionate was positively correlated with Candida and negatively correlated with Bullera . The PICRUSt functional profile prediction indicated that the xenobiotics biodegradation and metabolism, the lipid, amino acid, terpenoids, and polyketides metabolisms of the FTMR group were significantly higher than that of the TMR group. The results imply that FTMR can increase lipid and amino acid metabolism, and modulate the rumen microbiome and improve ruminal fermentation.

This research aimed to investigate the effects of replacing soybean meal with high-oil pumpkin seed cake (HOPSC) on ruminal fermentation, lactation performance, milk fatty acid, and ruminal bacterial community in Chinese dairy cows. Six multiparous Chinese Holstein cows at 105.50 ± 5.24 d in milk (mean ± standard deviation) and 36.63 ± 0.74 kg/d of milk yield were randomly allocated, in a 3 × 3 Latin square design, to 3 dietary treatments in which HOPSC replaced soybean meal. Group 1 was the basal diet with no HOPSC (0HOPSC); group 2 was a 50% replacement of soybean meal with HOPSC and dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS; 50HOPSC), and group 3 was a 100% replacement of soybean meal with HOPSC and DDGS (100HOPSC). We found no difference in the quantity of milk produced or milk composition among the 3 treatment groups. Feed efficiency tended to increase linearly as more HOPSC was consumed. In addition, rumen fermentation was not influenced when soybean meal was replaced with HOPSC and DDGS; the relative abundance of ruminal bacteria at the phylum and genus levels was altered. We also observed that as the level of HOPSC supplementation increased, the relative abundance of Firmicutes and Tenericutes linearly increased, whereas that of Bacteroidetes decreased. However, with increasing HOPSC supplementation, the relative abundance of Ruminococcus decreased linearly at the genus level in the rumen, and the relative abundance of Prevotella showed a linear downward tendency. Changes in dietary composition and rumen bacteria had no significant effect on the fatty acid composition of milk. In conclusion, our results indicated that replacing soybean meal with a combination of HOPSC and DDGS can meet the nutritional needs of high-yielding dairy cows without adversely affecting milk yield and quality; however, the composition of rumen bacteria could be modified. Further study is required to investigate the effects of long-term feeding of HOPSC on rumen fermentation and performance of dairy cows., (The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. and Fass Inc. on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association®. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).)

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is one of the most common forms of inherited mental retardation; it is usually associated with the transcriptional silencing of the Fmr1 gene and loss of its encoded protein, the fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). FMRP is an RNA-binding protein and participates in regulating the development of dendritic spines and synaptic plasticity. To uncover the possible role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in FXS and their relationship with FMRP, we used microarray analysis to investigate the miRNA expression profiles in the hippocampal tissues of Fmr1 knockout (Fmr1-KO) mice and wild type (WT) mice. A total of 75 differentially expressed miRNAs were identified, of which 58 were significantly upregulated and no miRNAs were significantly downregulated in Fmr1-KO mice. Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) analysis was applied to validate the expression of 7 upregulated miRNAs; results indicated that the levels of only miR-449a and miR-720 were significantly upregulated. We further used bioinformatics software and databases to predict the target genes of these two miRNAs. The genes were related to dendritic spine development and synaptic plasticity; the qRT-PCR and western blotting results showed that cyclin-dependent kinase 5 (CDK5) and synaptotagmin 1 (SYT1) were differentially expressed in the Fmr1-KO mice and WT mice. In conclusion, this study evidenced diverse changes in the expression of miRNAs, and validated the miRNAs and their targeted genes in Fmr1-KO mice. Although further studies are required to better understand the function of miRNAs in FXS, the present research highlights a potential role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of FXS., Competing Interests: None., (AJTR Copyright © 2020.)

: The current study was to elucidate the molecular defect in a 32-year-old Chinese woman with heavy menorrhagia and delayed wound healing. The F11 gene was amplified by PCR and screened for mutations. Then identified mutations were analyzed by in-silico programs and molecular modeling analysis. This woman was found to have severely low levels of factor XI (FXI) (FXI:C: 2.0%; FXI:Ag: 5.4%) by surgical screening. Further DNA sequencing of F11 reveled a novel mutation (p.Ser295Ile) in the Ap4 domain and an already known mutation (p.Trp228stop) in the Ap3 domain. Pedigree analysis showed that the new mutation was inherited from her father (FXI:C: 41%), whereas the other was inherited from her mother (FXI:C: 62%). Modeling analysis indicated Ser295Ile mutation probably determining important structural changes in the protein folding. Both of the heterozygous mutation contribute to the severe FXI deficiency by interfering with correct assembly of the region.

Objective: This trial was performed to examine the effects of ruminally degradable starch (RDS) levels in total mixed ration (TMR) with low corn-based starch on the milk production, whole-tract nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in dairy cows., Methods: Eight multiparous Holstein cows (body weight [BW]: 717±63 kg; days in milk [DIM]: 169±29) were assigned to a crossover design with two dietary treatments: a diet containing 62.3% ruminally degradable starch (% of total starch, low RDS) or 72.1% ruminally degradable starch (% of total starch, high RDS). Changes to the ruminally degradable levels were conducted by using either finely ground corn or steam-flaked corn as the starch component., Results: The results showed that dry matter intake, milk yield and composition in dairy cows were not affected by dietary treatments. The concentration of milk urea nitrogen was lower for cows fed high RDS TMR than low RDS TMR. The whole-tract apparent digestibility of neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber and crude protein decreased, and that of starch increased for cows fed high RDS TMR over those fed low RDS TMR, with no dietary effect on the whole-tract apparent digestibility of dry matter and organic matter. The proportion of urinary N excretion in N intake was lower and that of fecal N excretion in N intake was higher for cows fed high RDS TMR than those fed low RDS TMR. The N secretion in milk and the retention of N were not influenced by the dietary treatments. Total purine derivative was similar in cows fed high RDS TMR and low RDS TMR. Consequently, estimated microbial N flow to the duodenum was similar in cows fed high RDS TMR and low RDS TMR., Conclusion: Results of this study show that ruminally degradable starch levels can influence whole-tract nutrient digestibility and nitrogen balance in dairy cows fed low corn-based starch diets, with no influence on performance.

The object of this study was to determine the proper mixing ratio of fresh rice straw to corn steep liquor (CSL) to obtain a high protein content silage feed. The following experimental silages were generated: the control (C1), composed of fresh rice straw without CSL additive, mixed with CSL in the ratios of 4:1 (C4), 3:1 (C3) and 2:1 (C2). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) inoculant was applied at the rate of 50 mL/kg (fresh basis) of forage to achieve a final application rate of 1 × 10 6  cfu/g of fresh matter (FM). Duplicate silos for each treatment were opened after 0, 3, 7, 10, 20, 30, 45 and 60 d for microbiological and chemical analysis. The results showed that the addition of CSL significantly increased crude protein (CP) contents, and decreased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and acid detergent fiber (ADF) contents of treatments after 60 d of ensiling ( P < 0.05). The lactic acid contents in C4 and C3 were significantly higher than that in C1 ( P < 0.05). In summary, mixing fresh rice straw with CSL at addition levels of 4:1 (C4) and 3:1 (C3) can improve the fermentation quality and nutrient composition of fresh rice straw silage. However, a large proportion of CSL (C3) had a negative impact on the aerobic stability of fresh rice straw.

This study was to determine the fermentation quality of a mixture of corn steep liquor (CSL) (178 g/kg wet basis) and air-dried rice straw (356 g/kg wet basis) after being treated with inoculants of different types of lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The treatments included the addition of no LAB additive (control), which was deionized water; homo-fermentative LAB alone ( ho LAB), which was Lactobacillus plantarum alone), and a mixture of homo-fermentative and hetero-fermentative LAB ( he + ho LAB), which were L. plantarum , Lactobacillus casei , and Lactobacillus buchneri . The results showed that the inoculation of the mixture of CSL and air-dried rice straw with he + ho LAB significantly increased the concentration of acetic acid and lactic acid compared with the control ( P  < 0.05). The addition of he + ho LAB effectively inhibited the growth of yeast in the silage. The concentration of total lactic acid bacteria in the he + ho LAB-treated silage was significant higher than those obtained in other groups ( P  < 0.05). The duration of the aerobic stability of the silages increased from 56 h to >372 h. The control group was the first to spoil, whereas the silage treated with he + ho LAB remained stable throughout the 372 h period of monitoring. The results demonstrated that the he + ho LAB could effectively improve the fermentation quality and aerobic stability of the silage.

As emerging tick born rickettsial diseases caused by A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis, anaplasmosis and ehrlichiosis have become a serious threat to human and animal health throughout the world. In particular, in China, an unusual transmission of nosocomial cases of human granulocytic anaplasmosis occurred in Anhui Province in 2006 and more recent coinfection case of A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis was documented in Shandong Province. Although the seroprevalence of human granulocytic anaplasmosis (former human granulocytic ehrlichiosis, HGE) has been documented in several studies, these data existed on local investigations, and also little data was reported on the seroprevalence of human monocytic ehrlichiosis (HME) in China. In this cross-sectional epidemiological study, indirect immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFA) proposed by WHO was used to detect A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis IgG antibodies for 7,322 serum samples from agrarian residents from 9 provinces/cities and 819 urban residents from 2 provinces. Our data showed that farmers were at substantially increased risk of exposure. However, even among urban residents, risk was considerable. Seroprevalence of HGA and HME occurred in diverse regions of the country and tended to be the highest in young adults. Many species of ticks were confirmed carrying A. phagocytophilum organisms in China while several kinds of domestic animals including dog, goats, sheep, cattle, horse, wild rabbit, and some small wild rodents were proposed to be the reservoir hosts of A. phagocytophilum. The broad distribution of vector and hosts of the A. phagocytophilum and E. chaffeensis, especially the relationship between the generalized susceptibility of vectors and reservoirs and the severity of the disease's clinical manifestations and the genetic variation of Chinese HGA isolates in China, is urgently needed to be further investigated.