Optimal pricing and trade-in remanufacturing policies considering the secondary market

As global environmental problems worsen, issues related to the closed-loop supply chain and trade-in program have gained wide attention. We construct a dual-market model to explore trade-in program and remanufacturing strategies under two scenarios: original equipment manufacturer (OEM) recycling and retailer recycling. We find that under single market strategies, OEM recycling consumers benefit more with the reduction of new product costs. Interestingly, the opposite is true under dual-market strategies with an increase in consumers' maximum willingness to pay in the secondary market. Optimal choices regarding trade-in program strategies and remanufacturing strategies depend on different value ranges of consumers’ maximum willingness to pay in the secondary market, and the cost of the new product.</p

Impact of tariff change and export tax rebate on the profit of the dual-channel supply chain.

Impact of tariff change and export tax rebate on the profit of the dual-channel supply chain.</p

The impact of random demand on dual-channel demand.

The impact of random demand on dual-channel demand.</p

Impact of random demand on dual-channel supply chain profits.

Impact of random demand on dual-channel supply chain profits.</p

Impact of tariff changes and export tax rebate on dual-channel demand.

Impact of tariff changes and export tax rebate on dual-channel demand.</p

Effect of tariff changes and export tax rebate on the optimal decision price.

Effect of tariff changes and export tax rebate on the optimal decision price.</p

The influence of random demand on the optimal decision price.

The influence of random demand on the optimal decision price.</p

Metabolomics research on the effect of dexamethasone‐induced chronic stress in serum of rabbits

Stress is a common factor that reduces production performance. However, the physiology of stress is not fully understood. In this study, 40-day-old rabbits were injected 1.0 mg/kg BW Dexamethasone to induce stress. A metabolomic study on serum of stress-induced rabbits was performed to research the metabolism mechanism of stress by using ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (UPLC–MS). Clear separations between stress rabbits and control rabbits were observed by principal component analysis (PCA) based on the data obtained using both analytical techniques and 90 significantly changed metabolites were identified as potential biomarkers of stress. Stress rabbits were characterised by altered levels of serum lysophosphatidylcholines, amino acids, phosphatidyl choline, and nucleosides, which were related to multiple perturbed metabolic pathways and contributed to the elucidation of the complex mechanism of stress. These were main linked to three different pathways: pyrimidine metabolism, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, and biosynthesis of amino acid. In summary, we provided a comprehensive understanding of metabolic alterations in the main stress-targeted tissues, helping to understand the potential mechanisms underlying stress.HIGHLIGHTSStress alters the metabolic composition of serum in rabbits.In rabbits, dexamethasone‐induced chronic stress alters 90 metabolites in serum. Stress alters the metabolic composition of serum in rabbits. In rabbits, dexamethasone‐induced chronic stress alters 90 metabolites in serum.</p

Data_Sheet_1_Comparison of Gut Microbiota and Metabolic Status of Sows With Different Litter Sizes During Pregnancy.docx

The experiment was conducted to compare the differences of gut microbiota and metabolic status of sows with different litter sizes on days 30 and 110 of gestation, and uncover the relationship between the composition of maternal gut microbiota during gestation and sow reproductive performance. Twenty-six Large White × Landrace crossbred multiparous sows (2nd parity) with similar back fat thickness and body weight were assigned to two groups [high-reproductive performance group (HP group) and low-reproductive performance group (LP group)] according to their litter sizes and fed a common gestation diet. Results showed that compared with LP sows, HP sows had significantly lower plasma levels of triglyceride (TG) on gestation d 30 (P < 0.05), but had significantly higher plasma levels of TG, non-esterified fatty acid, tumor necrosis factor-α, and immunoglobulin M on gestation d 110 (P < 0.05). Consistently, HP sows revealed increased alpha diversity and butyrate-producing genera, as well as fecal butyrate concentration, on gestation d 30; HP sows showed significantly different microbiota community structure with LP sows (P < 0.05) and had markedly higher abundance of Firmicutes (genera Christensenellaceae_R-7_group and Terrisporobacter) which were positively related with litter size on gestation d 110 than LP sows (P < 0.05). In addition, plasma biochemical parameters, plasma cytokines, and fecal microbiota shifted dramatically from gestation d 30 to d 110. Therefore, our findings demonstrated that microbial abundances and community structures differed significantly between sows with different litter sizes and gestation stages, which was associated with changes in plasma biochemical parameters, inflammatory factors, and immunoglobulin. Moreover, these findings revealed that there was a significant correlation between litter size and gut microbiota of sows, and provided a microbial perspective to improve sow reproductive performance in pig production.</p

FumDSB can alleviate the inflammatory response induced by fumonisin B₁ in growing pigs

Fumonisin B1 (FB1) has the highest natural contamination rate among all fumonisin analogs and can inhibit food intake and weight gain of pigs. Under laboratory conditions, carboxylesterase FumDSB has a high FB1 degradation rate and excellent pH and thermal stability. The present study sought to estimate the effects of FumDSB on growing pigs from the perspective of a brain–intestinal axis. Twenty-four growing pigs of similar weight were divided into Control, FB1 (5 mg FB1/kg feed), and FumDSB (5 mg FB1/kg and 0.1% FumDSB in the feed) groups. After 42 days of feeding, hypothalamus and jejunum samples were collected for quantitative real-time fluorescence, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. The results showed that FB1 consumption can destruct the tissue structure of hypothalamus and jejunum, affect the expression and distribution of several appetite-related neuropeptides and inflammatory cytokines, thereby inducing neuroinflammatory responses and affecting food intake and weight gain. However, these anorexia effects and inflammatory responses are alleviated when FumDSB is added to the feed. In short, FumDSB can alleviate the inflammatory response induced by FB1 in growing pigs.</p