Xylanase improves the intestinal barrier function of Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)fed with soybean(Glycine max)meal

Background Soybean(Glycine max)meal is one of the important protein sources for fish,but the non-starch polysaccharides(NSP)in soybean meal impair the intestinal barrier function.Here we aimed to investigate whether xylanase can alleviate the adverse effects on the gut barrier induced by soybean meal in Nile tilapia and to explore the possible mechanism.Results Nile tilapia(Oreochromis niloticus)(4.09±0.02 g)were fed with two diets including SM(soybean meal)and SMC(soybean meal+3,000 U/kg xylanase)for 8 weeks.We characterized the effects of xylanase on the gut barrier,and the transcriptome analysis was performed to investigate the underlying mechanism.Dietary xylanase improved intestinal morphology and decreased the concentration of lipopolysaccharide(LPS)in serum.The results of transcriptome and Western blotting showed that dietary xylanase up-regulated the expression level of mucin2(MUC2)which may be related to the inhibition of protein kinase RNA-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase(perk)/activating transcription factor 4(atf4)signaling pathways.Microbiome analysis showed that addition of xylanase in soybean meal altered the intestinal microbiota composition and increased the concentration of butyric acid in the gut.Notably,dietary sodium butyrate was supplemented into the soybean meal diet to feed Nile tilapia,and the data verified that sodium butyrate mirrored the beneficial effects of xylanase.Conclusions Collectively,supplementation of xylanase in soybean meal altered the intestinal microbiota composition and increased the content of butyric acid which can repress the perk/atf4 signaling pathway and increase the expression of muc2 to enhance the gut barrier function of Nile tilapia.The present study reveals the mechanism by which xylanase improves the intestinal barrier,and it also provides a theoretical basis for the application of xylanase in aquaculture.

Characteristics of super drought in Southwest China and the associated compounding effect of multiscalar anomalies

In recent decades,Southwest China(SWC)has suffered from frequent super droughts,leading to severe economic losses and ecological degradation.This study investigates the characteristics of super droughts in SWC during 1961-2022,reveals the compounding effect of multiscalar anomalies,and explores the plausible atmospheric circulation mechanisms responsible.The nature of super drought is a compound drought caused by the superposition of extreme drought events across multiple time scales.By contrasting the typical drought cases in 2006 and 2022,the decisive role of multiscalar drought compounding is confirmed.Based on the Comprehensive Multiscalar Index(CMI),multiple super drought events in SWC were identified to be temporally clustered during 2006-2014.Among them,the decadal background of enhanced evaporation and precipitation deficit at long time scales is a necessary condition for shaping the overall pattern of super droughts,while the precipitation and evaporation anomalies at short time scales trigger the outbreak of super droughts,determining the exact timing of occurrence.These events include August-September 2006,November 2009 to May 2010,July-October 2011,April-May 2012,January-April 2013,etc.Statistical results suggest that the contribution of superposed precipitation anomalies to super drought is 2.4 times that of evaporation.As regards the circulation mechanisms affecting multiscalar precipitation,the anomalous spatial patterns at short-term and long-term scales are similar,featuring the cyclonic circulation over the South China Sea and the northeasterly wind anomalies together with the subsidence center over SWC.During 2006-2014,the possible causes for the cross-seasonal persistent precipitation reduction in SWC are the extreme negative phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation(PDO)in the North Pacific as well as the pronounced warming of the warm pool in the western Pacific.The key dynamic processes are outlined as follows.On the one hand,the negative PDO phase generates anomalous anticyclonic circulation in the North Pacific,with the northeasterly winds on its southwest flank extending to Southeast Asia,hindering moisture transport into SWC.On the other hand,the warming of the warm pool excites anomalous cyclonic circulation to its northwest,also giving rise to northeasterly wind anomalies over SWC.Meanwhile,the ascending motion over the warm pool region diverges at upper levels with outflows converging aloft over SWC,which further induces compensating downward motion there.The combined effect of the above two remote forcings establishes a climatic background state unfavorable for precipitation over SWC at long time scales,thus constituting a crucial prerequisite for the superimposition of short-term precipitation anomalies to develop into super droughts.

Concurrent validity of a markerless motion capture system for the assessment of shoulder functional movement

As a markerless motion capture system(MLS),the Microsoft Kinect sensor may be a low-cost and portable option for measuring shoulder joint angles.However,the system's concurrent validity to capture shoulder functional movement is unclear.The purpose of this study was to investigate the concurrent validity of MLS for capturing shoulder kinematics during functional movement by comparing the MLS measures to those of the marker-based motion capture system(MBS).Twenty-five healthy participants were included in this study.Using the Microsoft Kinect sensor as the MLS and Vicon as the MBS,six shoulder functional movements were measured in all three anatomical planes concurrently.The six movements included flexion to max,maximum extension,abduction to 90°,internal rotation at 90°abduction,external rotation at 0°abduction,and maximum horizontal adduction.The shoulder joint kinematics was measured with both systems.The MLS showed a good to excellent correlation(r>0.75)with MBS for abduction to 90°,maximum external rotation at 0°abduction and maximum internal rotation at 90°abduction.The results for maximum extension(r=0.727)and maximum horizontal adduction(r=0.619)showed a moderate to good correlation.For maximum flexion,a poor correlation was observed(r=0.479).The validity of the MLS to measure shoulder kinematics would be acceptable.The system demonstrates potential as a measurement tool of joint motions for a function assessment and rehabilitation purpose.