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Perturbations during critical time windows during embryonic development can lead to adverse functional consequences that manifest later in life. Here, we report that prenatal maternal stress (PNS) during the peak of embryonic neurogenesis (E14-delivery) dramatically increased numbers of proliferating neural stem/progenitor cells (NSC/NPCs) in the ependymal-subventricular zone (E-SVZ) and neuroblasts (NBs) in the rostral migratory stream and newborn neurons in the olfactory bulb (OB) of male mouse offspring without causing significant cell death or a deficit in cell migration to the OB. Mechanistically, bulk and single-nucleus transcriptomic analyses showed that PNS affected gene regulatory networks controlling cell cycle progression and stem cell maintenance, maturation of neural circuits, and gliogenesis in prenatally stressed (STR) offspring. More specifically, we found that prenatal exposure to mild maternal restraint-stress sustained MAPK (ERK) activity in the E-SVZ and thus prolonged NSC/NPC/NB proliferation in stressed brains. Moreover, we found PNS disorganized the cytoarchitecture of the glomerular layer of the OB, which may directly relate to the deficit in discriminating different social orders in stressed offspring. Compared to STR males, their female littermates showed less change in the number of proliferating cells in the E-SVZ.

The application of hexagonal boron nitride materials in the field of catalysis has gradually attracted increasing attention. Herein we demonstrate the application of porous boron nitride nanofibers as a promising carrier for developing highly efficient catalysts for the catalytic hydrogenation of ammonia borane. Porous boron nitride nanofibers with high specific areas are utilized as a novel carrier to support and immobilize CuCo binary metal nanoparticles with average diameters below 10 nm. The prepared composite catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity on hydrogen production by ammonia borane hydrolysis. The hydrogen generation rate of Cu0.4Co0.6/boron nitride catalyst (with a particle loading weight of 15.6 wt%) is 3387.1 mL min−1·g−1, with a total turnover frequency value of 8.42 mol H2·(mol cat)−1·min−1 and a activation energy of 21.8 kJ mol−1. Theory study indicates that the synergistic effect of CuCo binary metals, as well as the strong interaction between boron nitride carrier and CuCo metal, leading to the enhanced catalytic activities of the catalyst. This study demonstrates that porous boron nitride has prospective application potentials in the field of catalytic hydrogen production of ammonia borane.

Observationally, the interstellar gas-phase abundance of deuterium (D) is considerably depleted and the missing D atoms are often postulated to have been locked up into carbonaceous solids and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) molecules. An accurate knowledge of the fractional amount of D (relative to H) tied up in carbon dust and PAHs has important cosmological implications since D originated exclusively from the Big Bang and the present-day D abundance, after accounting for the astration it has experienced during the Galactic evolution, provides essential clues to the primordial nucleosynthesis and the cosmological parameters. To quantitatively explore the extent to which PAHs could possibly accommodate the observed D depletion, we have previously quantum-chemically computed the infrared vibrational spectra of mono-deuterated PAHs and derived the mean intrinsic band strengths of the 3.3 $\mu$m C--H stretch (A$_{3.3}$) and the 4.4 $\mu$m C--D stretch (A$_{4.4}$). Here we extend our previous work to multi-deuterated PAH species of different deuterations, sizes and structures. We find that both the intrinsic band strengths A$_{3.3}$ and A$_{4.4}$ and their ratios A$_{4.4}$/A$_{3.3}$ not only show little variations among PAHs of different deuterations, sizes and structures, they are also closely similar to that of mono-deuterated PAHs. Therefore, a PAH deuteration level (i.e., the fraction of peripheral atoms attached to C atoms in the form of D) of ~2.4% previously estimated from the observed 4.4 $\mu$m to 3.3 $\mu$m band ratio based on the A$_{4.4}$/A$_{3.3}$ ratio of mono-deuterated PAHs is robust., Comment: 36 pages, 17 figures, 6 tables; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

This study aimed to investigate the effect of a duodenal infusion of leucine and phenylalanine on pancreatic development and enzyme gene expression in dairy goats. Sixteen healthy yearling Guanzhong dairy goats of similar weights (29.7 ± 1.4 kg) had surgical duodenal intubation, and were used in a completely random design in this experimental. The animals were randomly divided into the 4 treatment groups, with 4 goats in each group: control, 3 g/d leucine (3 Leu), 9 g/d leucine (9 Leu) and 2 g/d phenylalanine (2 Phe), dissolved in and infused into the duodenum for 21 days. The goats were fed twice daily (0800 and 1800) with 350 g (dry matter) of total mixed rations, and were all slaughtered on the last day of the experimental period for pancreatic tissue sampling. The results showed that leucine and phenylalanine infusion did not affect pancreas weight or protein concentration (P > 0.05). However, 9 Leu treatment reduced pancreatic DNA concentration, and both 9 Leu and 2 Phe treatments increased the pancreatic protein:DNA ratio (P 0.05). Treatment with 9 Leu and 2 Phe increased amylase mRNA levels (P 0.05). The phosphorylation of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 was increased by leucine infusion (P 0.05). Leucine infusion also increased the free leucine concentration in the pancreas (P 0.05). In conclusion, duodenal infusion of an appropriate amount of leucine and/or phenylalanine can effectively improve the expression and secretion of pancreatic amylase in goats, which is important for improving intestinal starch digestion in ruminant animals. The regulation of the pancreatic amylase expression by leucine and phenylalanine mainly occurs at the transcriptional and/or translational level in goats.

Herein, a report on non-noble metal (Ni, Co, Cu, and their combination) nanoparticles (NPs) supported on TiO2 spheres as catalysts for hydrogen generation via hydrolysis of ammonia borane (NH3BH3, AB) is provided. The TiO2 spheres were prepared through a template method by using polystyrene (PS). The metallic nanoparticles were synthesized by a redox replacement reaction. The structure, morphology, and chemical composition of the obtained samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS). The characterization results showed that the metallic nanoparticles were well dispersed on the TiO2 supports. The catalytic activity toward the hydrolysis of AB was found to correlate well with the amount of metallic elements in catalysts while for the multicomponent phases, a synergistic effect was noticed. Theoretical calculations revealed that Ni, Co, and Cu atoms significantly influenced the electronic behavior of TiO2 and thereby, the catalytic properties of the materials.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of dietary supplementation with leucine and phenylalanine on pancreas development, enzyme activity, and related gene expression in male Holstein calves. Twenty male Holstein calves [1 d of age, 38 ± 3 kg of body weight (BW)] were randomly assigned to 1 of the following 4 treatment groups with 5 calves in each group: control, leucine supplementation (1.435 g/L of milk), phenylalanine supplementation (0.725 g/L of milk), and leucine and phenylalanine (1.435 + 0.725 g/L of milk). The diets were made isonitrogenous with the inclusion of alanine in each respective treatment. The feeding trial lasted for 8 wk, including 1 wk for adaption and 7 wk for the feeding experiment. Leucine tended to increase the concentration of total pancreatic protein (mg/kg of BW). Phenylalanine increased the concentrations of plasma insulin, cholecystokinin, and pancreatic DNA (mg/g) and the expression of trypsin gene but decreased the pancreatic protein:DNA ratio and tended to decrease the pancreas weight (g/kg of BW). No differences were observed in total pancreatic DNA (mg/pancreas and mg/kg of BW), pancreatic protein (mg/pancreas), or activities of α-amylase, trypsin, and lipase. The relative expression levels of the genes encoding α-amylase and lipase did not differ among the 4 groups. The supplementation of both leucine and phenylalanine showed an interaction on the pancreas weight (g and g/kg of BW) and a tendency of an interaction on the pancreatic protein concentration (mg/g of pancreas and mg/kg of BW) and the plasma glucose concentration. Leucine tended to increase the size of the pancreatic cells, whereas phenylalanine tended to increase the number of pancreatic cells. However, neither AA affected the activities of the pancreatic enzymes of the calves. These results indicate that leucine and phenylalanine supplementation in milk-fed Holstein calves differentially affect pancreatic growth and development.

Lycium barbarum polysaccharide (LBP) is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine possessing many properties such as anti-oxidant and immunomodulation. This study was conducted to evaluate the clinical efficacy of LBP in broilers. A total of 240 newly hatched broilers were randomly allotted into 4 treatments with 6 replicates. Diets in 3 treatment groups were supplemented with 2, 4, and 8 g/kg LBP, respectively, based on the control diet. Lymphocytes isolated from broiler blood were used to detect immunoregulation function of LBP in vitro. Results in vivo showed that average daily feed intake (ADFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in the 4 g/kg LBP group were decreased significantly (P

We report on Ni nanoparticles supported on boron nitride spheres (BNSP) and sheets (BNSH) as catalysts for hydrogen generation via hydrolysis of ammonia borane (NH 3 BH 3 , AB). The Ni/BN catalysts were prepared through a redox replacement reaction. The structure, morphology, and chemical composition of the obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and inductively coupled plasma emission spectroscopy (ICP). The characterization results showed that Ni nanoparticles were well dispersed on the BNSP and BNSH supports for the four Ni/BN catalysts prepared (Ni atomic contents of 6.8, 9.0, 9.2, and 12 wt%). The catalytic activity toward the hydrolysis of AB was found to correlate with the loading of the Ni/BN catalysts, which showed great cycle performance. Theoretical calculations revealed that BN sheets significantly influenced the electric character of Ni catalysts and thereby their catalytic properties.

Superhydrogenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may be present in H-rich and ultraviolet-poor benign regions. The addition of excess H atoms to PAHs converts the aromatic bonds into aliphatic bonds, the strongest of which falls near 3.4 $\mu$m. Therefore, superhydrogenated PAHs are often hypothesized as a carrier of the 3.4 $\mu$m emission feature which typically accompanies the stronger 3.3 $\mu$m aromatic C--H stretching feature. To assess this hypothesis, we use density function theory to compute the IR vibrational spectra of superhydrogenated PAHs and their ions of various sizes (ranging from benzene, naphthalene to perylene and coronene) and of various degrees of hydrogenation (ranging from minimal hydrogenation to heavy hydrogenation). For each molecule, we derive the intrinsic oscillator strengths of the 3.3 $\mu$m aromatic C--H stretch ($A_{3.3}$) and the 3.4 $\mu$m aliphatic C--H stretch ($A_{3.4}$). By comparing the computationally-derived mean ratio of $\langle A_{3.4}/A_{3.3}\rangle\sim1.98$ with the mean ratio of the observed intensities $\langle I_{3.4}/I_{3.3}\rangle\sim0.12$, we find that the degree of superhydrogenation --- the fraction of C atoms attached with excess H atoms --- is only $\sim2.2\%$ for neutral PAHs which predominantly emit the 3.3 and 3.4 $\mu$m features. We also determine for each molecule the intrinsic band strengths of the 6.2 $\mu$m aromatic C--C stretch ($A_{6.2}$) and the 6.85 $\mu$m aliphatic C--H deformation ($A_{6.85}$). We derive the degree of superhydrogenation from the mean ratio of the observed intensities $\langle I_{6.85}/I_{6.2}\rangle\sim0.10$ and $\langle A_{6.85}/A_{6.2}\rangle\sim1.53$ for neutrals and $\langle A_{6.85}/A_{6.2}\rangle\sim1.23$ for cations to be $\lesssim 3.1\%$ for neutrals and $\lesssim 8.6\%$ for cations. We conclude that astrophysical PAHs are primarily aromatic and are only marginally superhydrogenated., Comment: 49 pages, 26 figures; accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series

Phthalates adversely affect the male reproductive system in humans. Through gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis, we investigated the residual profile and levels of 15 phthalates in 90 goat milk-based infant formulas from 15 commercial brands of 10 dairy enterprises located in Shaanxi Province, China. In general, dibutyl phthalate was the most detected phthalate, followed by bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, diisobutyl phthalate, and dimethyl phthalate; their geometric mean concentrations in the formulas were 38.1, 24.2, 16.6, and 8.7μg/kg, respectively. Other phthalates were not detected in the investigated samples. No significant differences were found in the phthalate levels among different stages of infant formulas, even though the samples were packaged in different types of containers. These findings demonstrate that goat milk-based infant formulas may represent the main source of exposure to phthalates in infants.

This study was investigated the effects of dietary supplementation of leucine and phenylalanine on the development of the gastrointestinal tract and the intestinal digestive enzyme activity in male Holstein dairy calves. Twenty calves with a body weight of 38 ± 3 kg at 1 day of age were randomly divided into four groups: a control group, a leucine group (1.435 g·l−1), a phenylalanine group (0.725 g·l−1), and a mixed amino acid group (1.435 g·l−1 leucine plus 0.725 g·l−1 phenylalanine). The supplementation of leucine decreased the short-circuit current (Isc) of the rumen and duodenum (P0.05), and also counteracted the Isc reduction caused by leucine. Leucine increased the trypsin activity at the 20% relative site of the small intestine (P0.05). The trypsin activity in the anterior segment of the small intestine was higher than other segments, whereas the α-amylase activity in the posterior segment of the small intestine was higher than other segments. Leucine can reduce Isc of the rumen and duodenum, improve the development of the gastrointestinal tract, and enhance trypsin activity; phenylalanine could inhibit the effect of leucine in promoting intestinal development.

We report the synthesis of Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs)-decorated porous boron nitride nanofibers (BNNFs) as a novel BNNF@Fe3O4 nanocomposite via a solvothermal method. One-dimensional porous BNNFs with high porosity are utilized as carrier for supporting and immobilization of Fe3O4 NPs with average diameters of ∼7 nm. Magnetic measurement confirms that nanocomposites are in superparamagnetic state. The nanocomposites with even sparsely loaded Fe3O4 NPs can be easily operated in a low magnetic field. Furthermore, the BNNF@Fe3O4 nanocomposites with sparsely loaded Fe3O4 NPs exhibit remarkable adsorption effect on Pb(II) ions in accordance with the Langmuir and the pseudo-second-order kinetic models. The synergistic adsorption of Pb(II) on BNNF@Fe3O4 nanocomposites are further studied via the adsorption of Pb(II) using BN nanocomposites with different loading amount of Fe3O4 NPs. The results indicate that the strong electrostatic interaction between BNNFs and Pb(II) results in the initial fast adsorption of Pb(II) on the surface of BNNFs, and the weak electrostatic force of Fe3O4 leads to the subsequent adsorption of Pb(II) on Fe3O4, showing an interesting component-ratio related synergistic effect. The synergistic adsorption mechanism clarified in this study will advance the fundamental knowledge and scientific understanding of the nanocomposite adsorbents.

The high rate of protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of dairy calves can benefit their first lactation even lifetime milk yield. Since the rate of protein synthesis is relatively low in the post-absorptive state, the aim of this research was to determine whether leucine supplementation could increase the post-absorptive essential amino acid (EAA) utilization and protein synthesis in the skeletal muscle. Ten male neonatal dairy calves (38 ± 3 kg) were randomly assigned to either the control (CON, no leucine supplementation, n = 5) or supplementation with 1.435 g leucine/L milk (LEU, n = 5). Results showed that leucine significantly increased the length and protein concentration in longissimus dorsi (LD) muscle, whereas it decreased creatinine concentration and glutamic-oxalacetic transaminase (GOT) activity. Compared to the control group, leucine supplementation also reduced the glutamic-pyruvic transaminase (GPT) activity. Supplementation of leucine improved the phosphorylation of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), eukaryotic initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1 (4EBP1) and substrates ribosomal protein S6 kinase 1 (p70S6K). Supplementation of leucine resulted in increased concentrations of glucose, methionine, threonine, histidine and EAAs and decreased concentration of arginine in serum. Liver glucose concentration was higher and pyranic acid was lower in LEU compared to CON. In conclusion, leucine supplementation can promote post-absorptive EAA utilization and hepatic gluconeogenesis, which contributes to protein synthesis in skeletal muscle of dairy calves.

[EN] Apricot pretreated with RF and then dried with convective hot air at 65℃, 3.0m/s in this research. RF pretreatment time of 20, 30, 40 and 50min were chosen. Results showed that, there is only falling rate period during apricot hot air drying, and the drying rate of apricot is improved significantly; Herdenson and Pabis model is suitable for apricot hot air drying; retentions of flavonoids, polyphenols and Vc in dried apricot were higher than those of fresh apricot; when RF treating time was chosen 30mins, nutrients retentions of Vc, flavonoid and polyphenols were 0.9543mg/100g, 5.4089mg/100g and 7.3382mg/100g, separately., The work was financially supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of China (NO. GK201503072 and GK201601007).

The wide band gap of boron nitride (BN) materials has been a major bottleneck for a wider application of BN in electronics. In this work, density functional theory computations were used to study the band structure of zigzag BN nanoribbons (BNNRs). Due to the ionic origin of the BN band gap, a heterogeneous edge decoration is an effective way to modulate the electronic band structure of BNNRs. This study demonstrates that a metallic behavior and magnetism can be realized by applying a NO 2 –NH 2 pair edge decoration. Although the lone electron pair of the NH 2 group is partly responsible for the metallic behavior, the effective potential difference induced by the donor–acceptor pair is also crucial for metallic behavior. Furthermore, these newly formed BNNRs were found to be more stable than H-passivated BNNRs. This simple chemical modification method offers great opportunities for the development of future BNNR-based electronic devices.

This study investigated the effects of wheat-induced subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) on rumen bacterial populations and in situ degradabilities of NDF, starch, and crude protein of feeds. Four multiparous dairy goats (BW = 60 ± 3.3 kg) fitted with ruminal cannulas were assigned to a 2 × 2 crossover design (28-d treatment periods separated by a 7-d washout interval). The treatment diets consisted of 2 levels of cracked wheat: 0 (control, corn based concentrate) and 35% (diet-induced SARA, wheat-based concentrate), with a constant forage- (45% alfalfa hay and 5% corn silage of DM) to-concentrate (50% of DM) ratio. Results indicate that diets with a 35% wheat decreased ruminal pH (6.21 vs. 5.98) and increased the duration (1.13 vs. 4.72 h/d) and area (0.12 vs. 0.78 pH × h/d) of ruminal pH below 5.6 and induced SARA. The SARA increased ruminal total volatile fatty acid concentration, from 105.0 to 123.8 mM, and decreased the acetate molar proportion (62.8 vs. 56.6 mol/100 mol) and the acetate-to-propionate ratio (3.5 vs. 2.8). Compared with the control group, SARA decreases the relative abundance of Fibrobacter succinogenes (−59.3%) and Ruminococcus flavefaciens (−68.4%), whereas it increased Succinimonas amylolytica (198.1%) and Ruminobacter amylophilus (125.2%). The SARA decreased 24- and 48-h dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) degradabilities of corn silage. The 48-h degradabilities of DM (51.0 vs. 48.2%) and NDF (40.3 vs. 36.0%) in alfalfa hay were not affected by SARA, but the SARA tended to reduce the 24-h DM (49.6 vs. 46.3%) and NDF (37.8 vs. 33.2%) degradabilities. The effective ruminal degradabilities of DM and NDF in alfalfa hay and corn silage were reduced during SARA. In situ degradability parameters of DM and starch of wheat were not affected by SARA, but starch degradability of corn (9.5 vs. 13.3%/h) increased. The SARA reduced in situ 12-h degradabilities of DM and crude protein of soybean meal and extruded soybean without affecting the degradabilities of the other protein supplements (corn gluten meal, cottonseed meal, corn dried distillers grains with solubles, rapeseed meal, and wheat germ meal). These results indicated that the cracked wheat-induced SARA reduced the degradation of NDF in roughages and that of protein in soybean meal (−19.8%) and extruded soy (−18.9%) and increased the starch degradability in corn, due to the increased amylolytic bacteria and decreased cellulolytic bacteria counts in the rumen.

This study investigated the effects of dietary physical effective NDF (peNDF, g/kg of DM) to rumen degradable starch (RDS, g/kg of DM) ratios (PRR) on the risk of sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA), bacterial density, and rumen content fatty acid (FA) composition in dairy goats. Six ruminally cannulated dairy goats were assigned to 3 treatments in a repeated 3 × 3 Latin square design. Treatment diets consisted of three PRR levels: 1.81, 1.43, and 1.21, which were achieved by replacing dietary corn with wheat (0, 175, and 350 g/kg of DM). Diets with similar starch contents and identical forage to concentrate ratio (50:50) were used. The time and the area with a ruminal pH below 5.8 (from 2.97 to 7.17 h/d, and from 0.73 to 1.33 pH × h/d, respectively) or below 5.6 (from 1.20 to 3.05 h/d, and from 0.11 to 0.20 pH × h/d, respectively) linearly increased when the dietary PRR was reduced. With the reducing of dietary PRR, the molar ratio of acetate decreased, whereas that of propionate increased. However, the total VFA concentration showed a quadratic change in response to the dietary PRR. Reducing the dietary PRR caused a linear decrease in the rumen concentrations of iso C14:0, iso C15:0, anteiso C15:0, and iso C17:0. However, the C18:1 isomers concentration remained constant. The relative abundance of Ruminococcus albus and Streptococcus bovis was not affected by the dietary PRR, whereas that of Ruminococcus flavefaciens decreased with decreasing dietary PRR. These results suggested that the odd and branched FA content of the rumen might be used to determine the fluctuation of the ruminal pH and of the bacterial population. In addition, the recommended dietary PRR for dairy goats was 1.43.

As a result of impressive progress that made in economic traits such as body weight gain, feed efficiency and breast yield to meet the demands of consumers, nowadays, poultry became more susceptible to obesity, stressors and less ability to resist the common diseases in commercial farms. L-Arginine (L-Arg) supplementation in poultry diets improves egg production, egg weight, modulates lipid metabolism toward reducing total body fat accumulation to improve meat quality and increases antioxidant defense under normal conditions. Also under stress conditions L-Arg has the ability to alleviate this stress and to normalize the growth performance. Dietary L-Arg supplementation reduces ascites mortality under low ambient temperatures, attenuates the adverse effects of heat stress and high stock density, activates the immune system and enhances its responses to different common diseases in poultry farms. Therefore, L-Arg plays a pivotal role in poultry production.

In this paper, we have studied the boron adsorption induced magnetism in zigzag boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) and BN hexagonal sheets (h-BN sheet) as well as the magnetic interaction between the B-induced magnetic moment by using the first principle spin-polarized density functional calculations. It is found that the adsorption of a single B adatom on the external surface of BNNTs and h-BN sheet can induce spontaneous magnetization in the B-BNNTs system with a local magnetic moment of 1.0 μ B per B adatom regardless of the tube diameter and the bonding between the B atom and the BNNTs/BN sheets. An analysis of orbital hybridization indicates that two valence electrons participate in the bonding and the remaining one electron of the B adatom are confined at the adsorption site and contribute to the magnetism accordingly. The magnetic interactions between the B-induced magnetic moments on BNNTs have been explored. The magnetic B-BNNTs may be experimentally accessible when the coverage of B ad adatoms adsorbed on the external surface of BNNTs is low.

SUMMARY This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of additional supplementation of the diet with Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn on the performance, meat quality, and immune responses of broiler chickens fed a corn- and soybean meal-based diet. In a completely randomized orthogonal experimental design with a 4 × 4 factorial arrangement, 640 one-day-old male broiler chickens were assigned to 16 groups. No significant difference was observed in ADG, ADFI, and FCR among experimental groups for the 21-d starter period, 21-d finisher period, and total. Compared with birds fed the diet supplemented with 80 mg of Mn per kilogram, the birds fed the basal diet had significantly improved FCR during the total period (P < 0.05) according to analysis of the main effects. Supplementing the diet with 20 mg of Cu, 200 mg of Fe, 30 mg of Zn, and 0 mg of Mn significantly increased the L* (lightness) value of breast muscle, and supplementing the diet with 20 mg of Cu, 50 mg of Fe, 120 mg of Zn, and 80 mg of Mn significantly increased the b* (yellowness) value in breast muscle. A diet supplemented with 10 mg of Cu, 100 mg of Fe, 120 mg of Zn, and 0 mg of Mn increased the water-holding capacity of leg muscle. The addition of Cu, Fe, Zn, and Mn to diets did not improve the growth performance of broilers, but it could influence the general meat quality by affecting the L* and b* values and the water-holding capacity of breast or leg muscle.

The use of surfactants has been reported for controlling the particle size and morphology of metal oxalates and hydroxide precipitates in chemical precipitation processes. However, the mechanism involved is not clearly understood and the removal of surfactants from synthesized precipitates can be an obstacle for its large-scale industrial applications. In this study, a surfactant-free stripping–precipitation approach was proposed to synthesize nano-composite powders of copper oxalate. Copper ions were extracted by an organic extractant and oxalic acid-ethanol aqueous solution was employed to strip and precipitate copper. The effect of extractant, organic phase copper concentration, stripping phase ethanol content, temperature and time were investigated. The copper precipitates were characterised by X-ray diffractometry, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy and laser particle analyzer.

We report on a large gene bank of Fusarium isolates established by a broad survey conducted in 2005 in which infected barley ears were collected in 23 counties of seven provinces and two municipalities along the Yangtze River in China. In total, 1,894 single spore isolates were obtained. The isolates were characterized at the species level by a newly developed and robust set of diagnostic primers based on single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) among members of the F. graminearum clade. In addition, we determined their chemotype using previously described polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers. The results showed that in all regions F. asiaticum was the predominant species causing Fusarium head blight (FHB) on barley in China (N = 1,706), while in the upper valleys of the Yangtze River also F. graminearum sensu stricto, F. meridionale, and F. proliferatum were found. Major differences in the chemotypes were found in the F. asiaticum populations, from very high to exclusive nivalenol (NIV) chemotypes in the mountainous upper valleys of the Yangtze River to predominantly deoxynivalenol (DON) chemotypes in the middle and lower valleys. In contrast to the F. asiaticum isolates from three counties in Sichuan province, which were largely NIV producers (278 of 291), F. graminearum isolates from these sampling sites were for the vast majority (27 of 28) DON producers, indicating that despite sharing the same habitat, these sympatric species apparently have unique mycotoxin chemotypes.

This paper presents an investigation of predicting the forming limit diagram (FLD) based on a stress criterion. The prediction is achieved by employing an anisotropic plastic model with a mixed kinematic–isotropic hardening formulation recently developed by the authors. The loading conditions considered include both proportional and non-proportional loading. The applicability of the stress FLD (SFLD) under the loading conditions and different rolling directions is examined and discussed for AL2008-T4.

The training system of 1234 engineering and technical personnel was implemented in requirements of the plan for educating and training excellent engineers by School of materials science and engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University. The construction of three-dimensional platform between the laboratory, the enterprise and the industry was strengthen and the experiment technical ability of undergraduate was improved by using of teaching tutorial and ideological mentor of advantage resources. The influence of 1234 training system of engineering and technical personnel on the experiment technical ability of undergraduates was studied taking the study on friction and wear properties of PTFE coatings as an example. Keywords-experiment teaching; outstanding engineers; PTFE; wear

1234 Training system of the engineering and technical personnel was implemented by School of materials science and engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University in requirements of the credit management system, and the cultivation quality for undergraduates were improved. The influence of the1234 training system of the engineering and technical personnel on the cultivation quality for undergraduates was studied taking the study on the friction and wear properties of Cr-Rare earth-Boronized layer as an example, and reasons were also analyzed. Keywords-credit system; 1234 training system; Cr-rare earth-boronizing; steel 45

In requirements of the plan for educating and training outstanding engineers, the experimental resources were integrated by School of materials science and engineering, Shandong Jianzhu University, the opening experimental teaching system was founded, and the experiment technical skills of students were improved, especially metallographic skills. The influence of the opening experimental teaching system on the experiment technical ability of undergraduates was studied taking the study on the microstructure of Cr-Rare-boronized layer under low temperatures as an example, and reasons were also analyzed. Keywords-experiment teaching; outstanding engineers; Cr-rare earth-boronizing; steel 45

The paper presents a failure analysis of tube hydroforming under a wide range of process conditions involving internal pressure, enclosed square die, and axial end feeding. The failure analysis focuses on the onset of critical bursting conditions. Bursting is an instability phenomenon of tube hydroforming, which fails to sustain any more internal pressure. Onset of bursting depends on a number of processing parameters such as pressure and end feeding, as well as on material properties. Several analytical analyses have been conducted to determine the onset of bursting conditions for different loading paths. The critical parameters governing the onset bursting conditions are examined and discussed.

The resistivity, magnetoresistance, and Mossbauer effect of the metallic spiral antiferromagnet SrFeO2.95 were examined in the temperature range 4.5–300 K. Two peaks were found in the plot of the temperature derivative of resistivity (dρ/dT) versus temperature. The temperature of the upper peak, TN, corresponding to the onset of antiferromagnetic order, decreases monotonically from 105 to 98 K as the applied field increases from 0 to 9 T. This is due to the reduced antiferromagnetic superexchange interaction, while the temperature of the second transition, Ta, which corresponds to a peak at low temperatures and coincides with the weak anomaly in χ(T) curve, remains constant upto 3.8 T and shows a rapid increase in the range from 40 to 65 K, as the magnetic field increases further. This is caused by the enhancement of the disappearance of Fe3+δ paramagnetic domains and also by the enhancement of the helical–conical spin transformation for the applied field greater than 3.8 T.

A large magnetoresistance effect in a Fe-based perovskite has been observed. A typical magnetoresistance (MR) is 15.5% for SrFeO 2.95 at 5 K, and also a high field induced MR is noted at a temperature well above the antiferromagnetic transition temperature. Magnetization and transport measurements show that two transitions occur at temperatures around 107 and 65 K, respectively. The upper transition appears to correspond to the antiferromagnetic transition. The second transition, at low temperature, shows a resistivity minimum which coincides with the weak anomaly in the χ ( T ) curve. The upturn in ρ below 65 K arises from a T 1/2 dependence of the conductivity. This upturn in ρ at low temperatures is a manifestation of electron–electron interaction and quantum interference effects in electronic conduction, such as weak localization in this helical magnetic system.

The extraction of rare earths (REs) from simulated RE ore leachate solutions using an electrostatic pseudo-liquid membrane (ESPLIM) was carried out, followed by group separation of REs by a combined extraction/ESPLIM on the basis of previous work on the separation of Al, La, Sm and Y. The ESPLIM set-up was modified in such a way that gradient stripping could be easily applied. A simulated RE ore leachate containing about 1.0 g/l mixed rare earth elements (REEs), 10 g/l (NH4)2SO4, 5 g/l NH4Cl and 0.6 g/l of non-RE ions such as Ca, Al, Si, Fe and Pb was treated using di-(2-ethylhexyl) phosphoric acid (HDEHP) as carrier in the organic membrane phase. The influences of feed pH, flow rate of feed, stripping and organic phases, and stripping acid concentration were investigated. RE extraction percentage >95% and preliminary group separation and preconcentration of RE were achieved.

The extraction chromatography behavior of zirconium and hafnium is studied using tri-n-octylamine (TNOA) and tri-caprylylmonomethyl ammonium chloride (Aliquat 336) as the stationary phase supported on a styrene/divinylbenzene copolymer resin and hydrochloric acid as the mobile phase. The effects of hydrochloric acid concentration, extractant loading on the support, support particle size, column dimensions, and hydrofluoric acid are investigated. Microgram amounts of Zr and Hf are successfully separated on a small size (∅5 × 45 mm) column, on which Zr is adsorbed and Hf is completely eluted with 8M HCl. The adsorbed Zr is then eluted with 2M HCl. Aliquat 336 is found to be superior to TNOA for the mutual separation of Zr and Hf. The stability of the extraction chromatography resin is also examined.