Effects of dietary protein/energy ratio on growth performance,carcass trait,meat quality,and plasma metabolites in pigs of different genotypes

Background： The protein/energy ratio is important for the production performance and utilization of available feed resources by animals. Increased protein consumption by mammals leads to elevated feed costs and increased nitrogen release into the environment. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of dietary protein/energy ratio on the growth performance, carcass traits, meat quality, and plasma metabolites of pigs of different genotypes. Methods： Bama mini-pigs and Landrace pigs were randomly assigned to two dietary treatment groups （Chinese conventional diet with low protein/energy ratio or National Research Council diet with high protein/energy ratio; n = 24 per treatment） in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. Blood and muscle samples were collected at the end of the nursery, growing, and finishing phases. Results： We observed significant interactions （P 〈 0.05） between breed and diet for total fat percentage, intramuscular fat （IMF） content, protein content in biceps femoris （BF） muscle, and plasma urea nitrogen （UN） concentration in the nursery phase; for average daily gain （ADG）, average daily feed intake （ADFI）, dry matter, IMF content in psoas major （PM） muscle, and plasma total protein and albumin concentrations in the growing phase; and for drip loss and plasma UN concentration in the finishing phase. Breed influenced （P 〈 0.05） growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality, but not plasma metabolites. Throughout the trial, Landrace pigs showed significantly higher （P 〈 0.0_5） ADG, ADFI, dressing percentage, lean mass rate, and loin-eye area than did Bama mini-pigs, but significantly lower （P 〈 0.0.5） feed/gain ratio, fat percentage, backfat thickness, and IMF content. Dietary protein/energy ratio influenced the pH value, chemical composition of BF and PM muscles, and plasma activities of glutamic-pyruvic transaminase and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase, and plasma concentration of UN. Conclusions： Compared with Landrace pigs, Bama mini-pigs showed slower growth and lower carcass performance, but had better meat quality. Moreover, unlike Landrace pigs, the dietary protein/energy ratio did not affect the growth performance of Bama mini-pigs. These results suggest that, in swine production, low dietary protein/energy ratio may be useful for reducing feed costs and minimizing the adverse effects of ammonia release into the environment.

Adsorptive desulfurization over hierarchical beta zeolite by alkaline treatment

Hierarchical beta zeolites with SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratios of 16 to 25 were obtained by alkaline treatment in NaOH solution. The effects of treatment temperature on crystallinity, textural properties and chemical composites were studied by XRD, N2 sorption, FT-IR and XRF techniques. The desulfurization performance of parent and alkaline-treated beta zeolites was investigated by static absorption in four model fuels, containing four sulfur compounds of different molecular sizes like thiophene （TP）, 3-methylthiophene （3-MT）, benzothiophene （BT） and dibenzothiophene （DBT）, respectively. The crystallinity was observed to be successfully maintained when the treatment temperature was below 50 ℃. Mesoporosity of beta zeolite was evidently developed with alkaline treatment. The formation of mesopore remarkably improved the desulfurization performance for TP, 3-MT, BT and DBT, especially for DBT with larger molecular diameter. Though the addition of toluene in the model fuels resulted in a significant drop of the desulfurization performance of mesoporous beta zeolite, the introduction of cerium ions to some extent mitigated the effect of toluene, which means that both the adsorbent’s porous structure and the adsorption mode are responsible for the desulfurization performance. The adsorbent of cerium ion-exchanged mesoporous beta showed about 80% recovery of desulfurization after the first regeneration.

Effects of toluene on thiophene adsorption over NaY and Ce(IV)Y zeolites

Zeolites NaY and Ce（IV）Y were employed as adsorbents to remove organic sulfur compounds from model gasoline （MG） solutions with and without toluene in static adsorption experiments at room temperature （RT） and atmospheric pressure. The adsorbents were characterized by XRD, XRF and pyridine infrared spectrum （IR）. The adsorption experiments show that the desulfurization performance of Ce（IV）Y is much better than that of NaY. The sulfur removal over both NaY and Ce（IV）Y decreases with the increase of toluene concentration in MG, however, the decline tendency on Ce（IV）Y is smooth, and it is steep on NaY. FT-IR spectra of thiophene adsorption indicate that thiophene molecules are mainly adsorbed on NaY via π electron interaction, but on Ce（IV）Y, in addition to the π electron interaction, both Ce^4＋-S direct interaction and protonation of thiophene also play important roles. Toluene molecules are adsorbed on NaY also via π electron interaction. Although the amount of Bronsted acid sites is increased due to the introduction of Ce^4＋ ions into NaY zeolite, it is not found to influence the adsorption mode of toluene over Ce（IV）Y. Compared with NaY zeolite, the improved desulfurization performance over Ce（IV）Y for removing organic sulfur compounds from MG solution, especially those containing large amount of aromatics, may be ascribed to the direct Ce（IV）-S interaction, which is much resistant to the influence resulted from toluene adsorption.

Effects of liquid feeding of corn condensed distiller's solubles and whole stillage on growth performance, carcass characteristics, and sensory traits of pigs

Background： The immense growth in global bioethanol production has greatly increased the supply of by-products such as whole stillage and condensed distiller＇s solubles, which could be potentially used for animal feeding. The objective of this study was to investigate effects of liquid feeding high levels of corn condensed distiller＇s solubles（CCDS） and whole stillage（CWS） on growth performance, carcass characteristics, belly firmness and meat sensory traits of pigs.Methods： A total of 256 pigs were blocked by sex and initial BW（13.5 ± 2.5 kg）, and pens of pigs（8 pigs/pen） were randomly allocated to 1 of 4 dietary treatments（8 pens/treatment）： 1） corn-soybean meal based diet as control, 2） 25%CWS ＋ 5% CCDS, 3） 19.5% CWS ＋ 10.5% CCDS, and 4） 19.5, 26, and 32.5% CWS ＋ 10.5, 14, and 17.5% CCDS in phases 1（28 d）, 2（38 d）, and 3（60 d）, respectively. Inclusion levels of CCDS and CWS for Treatments 1, 2, and 3 were fixed during all the three phases of the experiment. Inclusion levels of CWS and CCDS were on 88% dry matter basis. The liquid feeding system delivered feed from the mixing tank to feed troughs by high-pressure air, had sensors inside feed troughs, and recorded daily feed intake on the basis of a reference feed intake curve. The pigs were fed 5 to 10 times per day with increasing frequency during the experiment.Results： Control pigs had greater（P 0.10） dressing percentage, loin muscle depth, and lean percentage were observed among the four treatments. Inclusion of CWS and CCDS reduced（P 0.10） the overall like,flavor, tenderness and juiciness of loin chops when compared with the control group.Conclusion： In conclusion, our results indicate that including 30–50% of a mixture of whole stillage and condensed distiller＇s solubles in the growing-finishing diets may reduce growth performance, carcass weight and belly firmness, but does not affect pork sensory traits.

Bath-plug technique for the endoscopic management of cerebrospinal fluid leaks in children

Importance:The safety and efficacy of the bath-plug technique for the closure of cerebrospinal fluid(CSF)leaks in children remain unknown.Objective:We undertook this study to ascertain whether the bath-plug technique was safe and effective for the repair of CSF leaks.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent endoscopic repair of CSF leaks with the fat graft as a plug-in at Beijing Children’s Hospital from March 2016 to May 2020.Demographic data,medical history,defect sites and sizes,interventions,and clinical outcomes were analyzed.One representative clinical case was additionally selected to highlight the procedure and the healing process.Results:A total of 18 pediatric patients were included in this study.The group was composed of 11 boys and seven girls,aged from 5 to 123 months.The etiologies included congenital CSF leaks(n=9)and head trauma(n=9).Among all patients,12 fistulas(66.7%)were located at the cribriform plate area,two(11.1%)at the roof of the ethmoid sinuses,two(11.1%)in the sphenoid sinus,and two(11.1%)at the frontal sinus.The maximum diameters of fistulas ranged from 5 to 20 mm,with a median value of 8 mm.Encephaloceles were identified in 14(77.8%)patients.No hydrocephalus was recognized.All CSF leaks were successfully repaired with a bath-plug technique.Follow-up ranged from 50 to 70 months.No surgical complications were encountered in any patient.Interpretation:Bath-plug technique is safe and reliable for the endoscopic management of CSF leaks in children.Meticulous peri-operative preparations are important for pediatric patients.

Cationic telluroviologen derivatives as type-I photosensitizers for tumor photodynamic theranostics

The hypoxia of the tumor microenvironment(TME)seriously restricts the photodynamic therapy(PDT)effect of conventional type-II photosensitizers,which are highly dependent on O_(2).In this work,a new type-I photosensitizer(TPE-TeVPPh3)consisting of a tetraphenylethylene group(TPE)as a bioimaging moiety,triphenyl-phosphine(PPh3)as a mitochondria-targeting group,and telluroviologen(TeV2+)as a reactive oxygen species(O_(2)•−,•OH)generating moiety is developed.The luminescence intensity of TPE-TeV-PPh3 increased significantly after specific oxidation by excess H2O2 in the TME without responding to normal tissues via the formation of Te═O bond,which can be used for monitoring abnormal H2O2,positioning,and imaging of tumors.TPE-TeV-PPh3 with highly reactive radicals generation and stronger hypoxia tolerance realizes efficient cancer cell killing under hypoxic conditions,achieving 88%tumor growth inhibition.Therefore,TPE-TeV-PPh3 with low phototoxicity in normal tissue achieves tumor imaging and effective PDT toward solid tumors in response to high concentrations of H_(2)O_(2)in the TME,which provides a new strategy for the development of type-I photosensitizers.

Removing contaminants from transferred CVD graphene

Chemical vapor deposition(CVD)is among the most utilized techniques to fabricate single-layer graphene on a large substrate.However,the substrate is limited to very few transition metals like copper.On the other hand,many applications involving graphene require technologically relevant substrates like semiconductors and metal oxide,and therefore,a subsequent process is often needed to transfer CVD to the new substrate.As graphene is fragile,a supporting material such as a polymer film,is introduced during the transfer process.This brings unexpected challenges,the biggest of which is the complete removal of this support material without contaminating graphene.Numerous methods have been developed,each having advantages and drawbacks.This review will first introduce the classic transfer method using poly(methyl methacrylate)(PMMA)as the support material.The operating procedure and issues of PMMA residuals will be discussed.Methods to minimize/eliminate contamination will be presented,together with alternative approaches that do not require the use of PMMA.

Combined low tracheotomy and rigid bronchoscopy to remove an irregular tracheal foreign body

INTRODUCTION Pediatric foreign body aspiration can be a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate intervention.The standard intervention for the vast majority of airway foreign bodies is rigid bronchoscopy,1 which was first performed by Gustav Killian in 1897.However,for some large or irregular airway foreign bodies,endoscopic removal remains challenging,even in the most experienced hands.In such cases,open surgery may be preferred to protect the airway and facilitate foreign body removal.We present a unique case of a 9-cm sharp metallic chain lodged in the lower trachea and right main bronchus of a 16-month-old girl,which was removed using combined low tracheotomy and rigid bronchoscopy.This case highlights the treatment options for large and irregular airway foreign bodies in rare locations.

Erratum to: Removing contaminants from transferred CVD graphene

Erratum to Nano Research 2020,13(3):599-610 https://d0i.0rg/10.1007/s12274-020-2671-6The NSF number in Acknowledgements in page 607 was unfortunately wrong,instead of The authors are grateful for the financial support from the National Science Foundation(No.CHE-1112436).

Unified Gas-Kinetic Wave-Particle Methods VI:Disperse Dilute Gas-Particle Multiphase Flow

A coupled gas-kinetic scheme(GKS)and unified gas-kinetic wave-particle(UGKWP)method for the disperse dilute gas-particle multiphaseflow is proposed.In the two-phaseflow,the gas phase is always in the hydrodynamic regime and is fol-lowed by GKS for the Navier-Stokes solution.The particle phase is solved by UGKWP in all regimes from particle trajectory crossing to the hydrodynamic wave interac-tion with the variation of particle’s Knudsen number.In the intensive particle colli-sion regime,the UGKWP gives a hydrodynamic wave representation for the particle phase and the GKS-UGKWP for the two-phaseflow reduces to the two-fluid Eulerian-Eulerian(EE)model.In the rarefied regime,the UGKWP tracks individual particle and the GKS-UGKWP goes back to the Eulerian-Lagrangian(EL)formulation.In the tran-sition regime for the solid particle,the GKS-UGKWP takes an optimal choice for the wave and particle decomposition for the solid particle phase and connects the EE and EL methods seamlessly.The GKS-UGKWP method will be tested in allflow regimes with a large variation of Knudsen number for the solid particle transport and Stokes number for the two-phase interaction.It is confirmed that GKS-UGKWP is an efficient and accurate multiscale method for the gas-particle two-phaseflow.