Effect of the dietary supplementation with extracts of chestnut wood and grape pomace on performance and jejunum response in female and male broiler chickens at different ages

Background:Recently,interest in the use of herbs and phytogenic compounds has grown because of their potential role in the production and health of livestock animals.Among these compounds,several tannins have been tested in poultry,but those from chestnut wood and grape-industry byproducts have attracted remarkable interest.Thus,the present study aimed to gain further insights into the mechanisms involved in the response to the dietary supplementation with extracts of chestnut wood or grape pomace.To this purpose,864 broiler chickens were fed a control diet(C)or the same diet supplemented 0.2%chestnut wood(CN)extract or 0.2%grape pomace(GP)extract from hatching until commercial slaughtering(at 45 days of age)to assess their effects on performance,meat quality,jejunum immune response and whole-transcriptome profiling in both sexes at different ages(15 and 35 d).Results:Final live weight and daily weight gain significantly increased(P<0.01)in chickens fed GP diets compared to CN and C diets.The villi height was lower in chickens fed the CN diet than in those fed the C diet(P<0.001);moreover,a lower density of CD45~+cells was observed in chickens fed the CN diet(P<0.05)compared to those fed the C and GP diets.Genes involved in either pro-or anti-inflammatory response pathways,and antimicrobial and antioxidant responses were affected by GP and CN diets.There was no effect of the dietary treatment on meat quality.Regarding sex,in addition to a lower growth performance,females showed a lower occurrence of wooden breast(16.7%vs.55.6%;P<0.001)and a higher occurrence of spaghetti meat(48.6%vs.4.17%;P<0.001)in pectoralis major muscles after slaughtering than those in males.Based on the results of whole-transcriptome profiling,a significant activation of some molecular pathways related to immunity was observed in males compared with those of females.Conclusions:The GP supplementation improved chicken performance and promoted immune responses in the intestinal mucosa;moreover,age and sex were associated with the most relevant transcriptional changes.

Transcriptome‑wide mapping of milk somatic cells upon subclinical mastitis infection in dairy cattle

Background Subclinical intramammary infection(IMI)represents a significant problem in maintaining dairy cows’health.Disease severity and extent depend on the interaction between the causative agent,environment,and host.To investigate the molecular mechanisms behind the host immune response,we used RNA-Seq for the milk somatic cells(SC)transcriptome profiling in healthy cows(n=9),and cows naturally affected by subclinical IMI from Proto-theca spp.(n=11)and Streptococcus agalactiae(S.agalactiae;n=11).Data Integration Analysis for Biomarker discov-ery using Latent Components(DIABLO)was used to integrate transcriptomic data and host phenotypic traits related to milk composition,SC composition,and udder health to identify hub variables for subclinical IMI detection.Results A total of 1,682 and 2,427 differentially expressed genes(DEGs)were identified when comparing Prototheca spp.and S.agalactiae to healthy animals,respectively.Pathogen-specific pathway analyses evidenced that Proto-theca’s infection upregulated antigen processing and lymphocyte proliferation pathways while S.agalactiae induced a reduction of energy-related pathways like the tricarboxylic acid cycle,and carbohydrate and lipid metabolism.The integrative analysis of commonly shared DEGs between the two pathogens(n=681)referred to the core-mastitis response genes,and phenotypic data evidenced a strong covariation between those genes and the flow cytometry immune cells(r2=0.72),followed by the udder health(r2=0.64)and milk quality parameters(r2=0.64).Variables with r≥0.90 were used to build a network in which the top 20 hub variables were identified with the Cytoscape cyto-hubba plug-in.The genes in common between DIABLO and cytohubba(n=10)were submitted to a ROC analysis which showed they had excellent predictive performances in terms of discriminating healthy and mastitis-affected animals(sensitivity>0.89,specificity>0.81,accuracy>0.87,and precision>0.69).Among these genes,CIITA could play a key role in regulating the animals’response to subclinical IMI.Conclusions Despite some differences in the enriched pathways,the two mastitis-causing pathogens seemed to induce a shared host immune-transcriptomic response.The hub variables identified with the integrative approach might be included in screening and diagnostic tools for subclinical IMI detection.

Effect of dietary supplementation with yeast cell wall extracts on performance and gut response in broiler chickens

Background:The dietary supplementation of yeast cell wall extracts(YCW)has been found to reduce pathogenic bacteria load,promote immunoglobulin production,prevent diseases by pro-inflammatory responses,and alter gut microbiota composition.This study evaluated growth and slaughter results,health,gut morphology,immune status and gut transcriptome of 576 male chickens fed two diets,i.e.C(control)or Y(with 250–500 g/t of YCW fractions according to the growth period).At 21 and 42 d the jejunum of 12 chickens per diet were sampled and stained with hematoxylin/eosin for morphometric evaluation,with Alcian-PAS for goblet cells,and antibodies against CD3+intraepithelial T-cells and CD45+intraepithelial leukocytes.The jejunum sampled at 42 d were also used for wholetranscriptome profiling.Results:Dietary YCW supplementation did not affect final live weight,whereas it decreased feed intake(114 to 111 g/d;P≤0.10)and improved feed conversion(1.74 to 1.70;P≤0.01).Regarding the gut,YCW supplementation tended to increase villi height(P=0.07);it also increased the number of goblet cells and reduced the density of CD45+cells compared to diet C(P<0.001).In the gut transcriptome,four genes were expressed more in broilers fed diet Y compared to diet C,i.e.cytochrome P450,family 2,subfamily C,polypeptide 23b(CYP2C23B),tetratricopeptide repeat domain 9(TTC9),basic helix-loop-helix family member e41(BHLHE41),and the metalloreductase STEAP4.Only one gene set(HES_PATHWAY)was significantly enriched among the transcripts more expressed in broilers fed diet Y.However,a total of 41 gene sets were significantly over-represented among genes up-regulated in control broilers.Notably,several enriched gene sets are implicated in immune functions and related to NF-κB signaling,apoptosis,and interferon signals.Conclusions:The dietary YCW supplementation improved broiler growth performance,increased gut glycoconjugate secretion and reduced the inflammatory status together with differences in the gut transcriptome,which can be considered useful to improve animal welfare and health under the challenging conditions of intensive rearing systems in broiler chickens.

Effects of total replacement of corn silage with sorghum silage on milk yield,composition, and quality

Background： In the last years, difficulties occurring in corn cultivation（i.e., groundwater shortages, mycotoxin contamination） have been forcing dairy farmers to consider alternative silages. Some experiments conducted on lactating cows have proven that the total replacement of corn silage with sorghum silage did not reduce milk yield.However, this kind of substitution involves supplementing sorghum-based diets with grains, to compensate for the lower starch content of sorghum silage compared to corn silage. Change of silage type and inclusion of starch sources in the diet would influence rumen fermentations, with possible effects on milk composition（i.e., fatty acid profile） and coagulation properties. A worsening of milk coagulation properties would have a negative economic impact in Italy, where most of the milk produced is processed into cheese.This study was designed to compare milk composition and quality, with emphasis on fatty acid profile and coagulation properties, in dairy cows fed two diets based on corn or sorghum silage.Results： The sorghum diet reduced milk yield（P = 0.043） but not 4% fat corrected milk（P = 0.85）. Feeding sorghum silage did not influence milk contents of protein（P = 0.07） and lactose（P = 0.65）, and increased fat content（P = 0.024）.No differences emerged for milk concentrations of saturated（P = 0.61） and monounsaturated fatty acids（P = 0.50）,whereas polyunsaturated fatty acids were lower（P 〈 0.001） for the sorghum diet. Concentrations of n-6（P 〈 0.001） and n-3 fatty acids（P = 0.017） were lower in milk of cows fed the sorghum diet. Milk coagulation properties did not differ between the two diets, except the ＂a30＂（the curd firmness, expressed in mm, 30 min after rennet addition）, that was lower（P = 0.042） for the sorghum diet.Conclusions： Feeding a forage sorghum silage, properly supplemented with corn meal, as total replacement of corn silage maintained milk composition and did not influence negatively milk coagulation properties, which have a great economic relevance for the Italian dairy industry. Thus, silages obtained from forage sorghums could have a potential as substitute of corn silages in dairy cow diets.

Impact of Soil Fumigation Practices on Soil Nematodes and Microbial Biomass

This study was designed to understand the impact of methyl bromide (MB) (CH3Br) and its alternatives on both free-living and root-knot nematodes in the soil. A randomized complete block experiment with six treatments and 4 replicates (each replicate in a separate greenhouse) was established in Qingzhou, Shandong Province, China. In addition to MB and untreated control (CK) treatments there were four alternative soil fumigation practices including MB+virtually impermeable films (VIF), metam sodium (MS), MS +VIF and soil solarization combined with selected biological control agents (SS+BCA). Two tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill.) cultivars, cv. Maofen-802 from the Xian Institute of Vegetable Science, China, and cv. AF179 Brillante from the Israeli Hazera Quality Seeds, were selected as test crops. The results indicated that Rhabditidae was the most dominant population with percentage abundance as high as 85% of the total number of identified free-living nematodes, followed by that of Cephalobidae. Methyl bromide and its alternatives except for the non-chemical SS+BCA treatment controlled the target pest, root-knot nematodes. Also, the impact of the three chemical alternatives on free-living nematode number and functional group abundance was similar to the impact associated with a typical methyl bromide application. Chemical fumigation practices, especially that with MB, significantly reduced the number of nematodes in the soil and simultaneously significantly reduced the number of nematode genera thereby reducing nematode diversity. All the four soil chemical fumigation activities decreased soil microbial biomass and had an obvious initial impact on microorganism biomass. Furthermore, both plant-parasitic and fungivore nematodes were positively correlated with soil microbial biomass.

Can Greater Flamingo Recognize Fertile <i>vs.</i>Infertile Egg? A Single Case Study

Fertility of captive flamingos varies between flocks, species and seasons. Individuating infertile eggs could be helpful to facilitate important decisions. Wild animals could be encouraged to abandon the nest or not, whereas in captivity removing non-viable egg would lead birds to lay a new one. The aim of this study was to investigate the parental behaviour of a pair of greater flamingos (Phoenicopterus roseus) in the presence of a fertile and an infertile egg. Data on the posture and behaviours of the pair on the nest were collected over two different periods: first period—an infertile egg was laid;second period—a fertile egg was laid. For each period, 28 ten-minute sessions per flamingo partner were run. Results revealed that female flamingo spent significantly more time standing on the nest in the first than in the second period (P = 0.010). Moreover, when standing on the nest, the female performed significantly more egg-care behaviour (attention to the egg, egg rotation/moving) in the first than in the second period (P = 0.010). No significant differences between periods emerged in the male flamingo posture on the nest and behaviours. Findings from this study suggest that female flamingos stand on the nest longer if the egg is infertile, paying more attention and examining it deeply. This study provides new insights into greater flamingo parent-embryo communication. Future research is needed to improve our knowledge on this topic, as well as on the husbandry of this species in the controlled environment.

From Dinosaurs to Birds:Puzzles Unraveled while Evidence Building up

Rejuvenation of dinosaurian origin of birds and its theoretical difficultiesIn 1986, Prof. Jacques Gauthier from Yale University first applied cladistic systimatics to the analysis of

Influence of main dietary chemical constituents on the in vitro gas and methane production in diets for dairy cows

Background： Modification of chemical composition of diets fed to dairy cows might be a good strategy to reduce methane（CH4） production in the rumen. Notable reductions of CH4 production compared to conventional highroughages rations were more frequently observed for very concentrated diets or when fat supplements were used. In these cases, the reduction in the gas emission was mainly a consequence of an overall impairment of rumen function with a reduction of fiber digestibility. These strategies do not always comply with feeding standards used in intensive dairy farms and they are usually not applied owing to the risks of negative health and economic consequences.Thus, the present study evaluated the effects of seven commercial diets with contents of neutral detergent fiber（NDF）,protein and lipids ranging 325 to 435 g/kg DM, 115 to 194 g/kg DM, and 26 to 61 g/kg DM, respectively, on in vitro degradability, gas（GP）, and CH4 production.Results： In this experiment, changes in the dietary content of NDF, crude protein（CP） and lipids were always obtained at the expense or in favor of starch. A decreased of the dietary NDF content increased NDF（NDFd） and true DM（TDMd） degradability, and increased CH4 production per g of incubated DM（P 〈 0.001）, but not that per g of TDMd. An increase of the dietary CP level did not change in vitro NDFd and TDMd, decreased GP per g of incubated DM（P 〈 0.001）, but CH4 production per g of TDMd was not affected. An increased dietary lipid content reduced NDFd, TDMd,and GP per g of incubated DM, but it had no consequence on CH4 production per g of TDMd.Conclusions： It was concluded that, under commercial conditions, changes in dietary composition would produce small or negligible alterations of CH4 production per unit of TDMd, but greater differences in GP and CH4 production would be expected when these amounts are expressed per unit of DM intake. The use of TDMd as a standardizing parameter is proposed to account for possible difference in DM intake and productivity.

Methodological factors affecting gas and methane production during in vitro rumen fermentation evaluated by meta-analysis approach

Effects of some methodological factors on in vitro measures of gas production（GP, mL/g DM）, CH4production（mL/g DM） and proportion（% CH4 on total GP） were investigated by meta-analysis. These factors were considered：pressure in the GP equipment（0 = constant; 1 = increasing）, incubation time（0 = 24; 1 = ≥ 48 h）, time of rumen fluid collection（0 = before feeding; 1 = after feeding of donor animals）, donor species of rumen fluid（0 = sheep; 1 =bovine）, presence of N in the buffer solution（0 = presence; 1 = absence）, and ratio between amount of buffered rumen fluid and feed sample（BRF/FS; 0 = ≤ 130 mL/g DM; 1 = 130–140 mL/g DM; 2 = ≥ 140 mL/g DM）. The NDF content of feed sample incubated（NDF） was considered as a continuous variable. From an initial database of 105 papers, 58 were discarded because one of the above-mentioned factors was not stated. After discarding 17 papers,the final dataset comprised 30 papers（339 observations）. A preliminary mixed model analysis was carried out on experimental data considering the study as random factor. Variables adjusted for study effect were analyzed using a backward stepwise analysis including the above-mentioned variables. The analysis showed that the extension of incubation time and reduction of NDF increased GP and CH4 values. Values of GP and CH4 also increased when rumen fluid was collected after feeding compared to before feeding（＋26.4 and ＋9.0 mL/g DM, for GP and CH4）,from bovine compared to sheep（＋32.8 and ＋5.2 mL/g DM, for GP and CH4）, and when the buffer solution did not contain N（＋24.7 and ＋6.7 mL/g DM for GP and CH4）. The increase of BRF/FS ratio enhanced GP and CH4production（＋7.7 and ＋3.3 mL/g DM per each class of increase, respectively）. In vitro techniques for measuring GP and CH4 production are mostly used as screening methods, thus a full standardization of such techniques is not feasible. However, a greater harmonization of analytical procedures（i.e., a reduction in the number of available protocols） would be useful to facilitate comparison between results of different experiments.

Understanding the Genome's "Dark Matter"--An Interview with Prof.CHEN Lingling

Overshadowed by DNA and their coding counterparts,non-coding RNAs remained in the darkness for a long time as"junk"or"useless"fragments in the genome,until only about a decade ago,when analysis of complete sequencing of human genome brought it into attention.As the afterglow of the ground-breaking Human Genome Program,this has since been a hot frontier of biology,and among those who have been pursuing this genetic"dark matter",Dr.CHEN Lingling,

Promoting Transdisciplinary and Transeultural Cooperation In Space Science in Face of COVID-19-Interview with Prof.Wing-Huen Ip,Executive Director of ISSI-BJ

Prof.Wing-Huen Ip,a world-renown scientist in cometary physics,planetary science,solar system evolution and exoplanets,took the post of the Executive Director of the International Space Science Institute一Beijing(ISSI-BJ)in June.As the only partner of the well-known International Space Science Institute(ISSI)in Bern outside Switzerland,ISSI-BJ has adopted the same tools as ISSI to facilitate international cooperation and academic exchanges:workshops,forums,and others that rely on in-person communications.

Inter-Laboratory Ring Trial to Evaluate Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction Methods Used for <i>Dolphin Morbillivirus</i>Detection in Italy

Dolphin Morbillivirus (DMV) is one of the most frequently detected pathogens in stranded cetacean specimens worldwide as well as in Italy. Due to the persistence of DMV in the Mediterranean Sea and to the lack of information about the efficiency of the available diagnostic techniques, the Italian National Reference Centre for diagnostic activities on dead stranded marine mammals (C.Re.Di.Ma) performed the first inter-laboratory ring trial with the aim to standardize a diagnostic biomolecular approach for DMV in Italy. Viral isolation is usually considered the “gold standard” for the definitive diagnosis of most pathogens, but it is not often feasible in DMV diagnosis, due to the poor preservation of virus-targeted tissues in stranded cetacean carcasses, as well as to the lack of appropriate sensitivity of cell lines towards DMV variability. Therefore direct viral detection on tissues by means of reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) represents a valuable option for DMV infection’s diagnosis. For detecting DMV in cetacean die-offs occurred in the Mediterranean basin since 2013, C.Re.Di.Ma developed an RT-PCR based method targeting to a 287 bp fragment of DMV nucleoprotein (N) gene. With the purpose to evaluate its performances in terms of accuracy (Se = sensitivity and Sp = specificity) and precision (reproducibility), it was submitted to a ring trial. So, 12 Public Laboratories belonging to the Italian dead stranded marine mammals diagnostic network were asked to analyze a panel of 40 samples (positive and negative for DMV, using different dilutions of a viral suspension obtained from a cell culture supernatant of a DMV strain) with the aforementioned technique. Furthermore, we also aimed at comparing the accuracy of other 7 molecular methods routinely applied for DMV detection in Italy. For this purpose, the second panel of identical 40 DMV +ve and -ve samples was provided to Laboratories that routinely used DMV detection methods other than those developed by C.Re.Di.Ma, in order to be analyzed simultaneously with the method they usually applied. The C.Re.Di.Ma technique showed high accuracy [mean Se = 97.8% (95% CI 84.2% - 99.3%), mean Sp = 98.1% (95% CI 72.5% - 99.9%)] and very good precision [k combined equal to 0.91 (95% CI 0.87 - 0.95)]. In conclusion, this study highlighted a satisfactory reliability of most of the molecular methods used in Italy for DMV detection.

All-inorganic perovskite nanocrystal materials: new generation of scintillators for high quality X-ray imaging

Scintillating materials, which can convert high energy X-ray radiation into visible luminescence [1], are crucial parts of Xray imaging technology. Since the discovery of X-ray in 1895, scintillating materials have witnessed wild applications in various fields, including security inspection, space exploration, nondestructive detection, and medical diagnostics [2,3]- Conventional scintillators are generally large inorganic crystals and can only be grown at high temperature, which significantly increases the manufacturing difficulty and cost. The luminescence of current crystal scintillators is usually limited by lowefficiency or afterglow effects, and is difficult to be tuned cross the visible spectrum. As traditional scintillators have reached their performance limits, exploration of new scintillators has become a crucial topic considering the increased demands of X-ray imaging and detection technology [4-6].

Advances in self-assembly and regulation of aromatic carboxylic acid derivatives at HOPG interface

Aromatic carboxylic acid self-assembly has been a hot research field for many scientists due to its strong coordination ability and flexible coordination mode.The hydrogen bond formed between aromatic carboxylic acids is a strong intermolecular force and has directionality and saturation,which plays a very important role in the self-assembly and regulation of aromatic carboxylic acids.In this review,we introduce surface organization formed by aromatic carboxylic acids with the aid of scanning tunneling microscopy(STM).These two-dimensional structures include molecular templates,host-guest systems,and photo-isomerization structures.We also emphasize the thermodynamics and dynamics,which are important research topics of current and future study.

路易斯·布尔乔亚：成熟在70岁之后

以实验性和自传性的雕塑闻名的路易斯·布尔乔亚（Louise Bourgeois），一生都在从事艺术，却在70岁之后才成为被世界瞩目的重要艺术家。她最标志性的《蜘蛛》（Maman）系列作品，用巨大的黑色蜘蛛形象表达了她从自己母亲身上看到的特质：从容、聪明、耐心、理性、优雅、敏感、灵巧而有用，关键时刻亦可自我防卫。布尔乔亚的作品晦暗而神秘，童年的阴影，女性的困惑、不平、孤独和矛盾是充斥她一生的创作母题，她因此也被人们认为是女权主义运动的先驱-尽管她自己从不这么认为。在晚年的作品中，布尔乔亚用童年跟随母亲学习的缝纫技术专心创作了很多布画，图案简单抽象，材料组合别出心裁，在最近的几个回顾展中均有大量展出。显然布尔乔亚也遗传了母亲的那些特质。

Value-addition of water hyacinth and para grass through pyrolysis and hydrothermal liquefaction

Hydrothermal liquefaction(HTL)and pyrolysis(Py)of Loktak lake biomass mixture of water hyacinth(WH)and para grass(PG)were carried out at 260-300℃ and 300-500℃ to compare the products yield and chemical characteristics of the products.In case of HTL,the maximum bio-oil yield was obtained 13.34 wt.%at 280℃ while for Py,the maximum bio-oil yield was observed 38.8 wt.%at 350℃.The obtained bio-oils and bio-chars were analyzed using GC-MS,FT-IR,NMR,TGA,TOC,and SEM.GC-MS analysis of the bio-oils were showed that the HTL bio-oil majorly contains of nitrogen containing compounds whereas the Py bio-oil contains majority of phenolic compounds.Other compounds like ketones,alcohols,acids were also observed in bio-oil.Higher intensity broad band at 3300-3500 cm^(−1) was observed in the Py bio-oil compared to HTL bio-oil.TGA and proximate analysis of bio-char revealed the higher devolatilization occured during the HTL compared to Py process.The surface morphology of the HTL bio-char was found to be rough and fragmented as compared to the pyrolysis bio-char,clearly showing the biomass macromolecules breakdown differently in HTL and Py process.

住在2020

艺术是对现实的膝跳反应。天安时间画廊发起年度“绿色艺术计划”的起因，我想可能是因为“遭遇危机”——开垦、砍伐、城市化，人类文明不断改变着地球的面貌和生态系统原有的功能，如今地球已经变得“又热又平又挤”。诸多“不可忽视的真相”不期而至：气候恶化、能源枯竭、水土流失、水和空气污染、物种绝灭……