Changes in the milk metabolome of the Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) with time after birth: three phases in early lactation and progressive individual differences

Ursids (bears) in general, and giant pandas in particular, are highly altricial at birth. The components of bear milks and their changes with time may be uniquely adapted to nourish relatively immature neonates, protect them from pathogens, and support the maturation of neonatal digestive physiology. Serial milk samples collected from three giant pandas in early lactation were subjected to untargeted metabolite profiling and multivariate analysis. Changes in milk metabolites with time after birth were analysed by Principal Component Analysis, Hierarchical Cluster Analysis and further supported by Orthogonal Partial Least Square-Discriminant Analysis, revealing three phases of milk maturation: days 1–6 (Phase 1), days 7–20 (Phase 2), and beyond day 20 (Phase 3). While the compositions of Phase 1 milks were essentially indistinguishable among individuals, divergences emerged during the second week of lactation. OPLS regression analysis positioned against the growth rate of one cub tentatively inferred a correlation with changes in the abundance of a trisaccharide, isoglobotriose, previously observed to be a major oligosaccharide in ursid milks. Three artificial milk formulae used to feed giant panda cubs were also analysed, and were found to differ markedly in component content from natural panda milk. These findings have implications for the dependence of the ontogeny of all species of bears, and potentially other members of the Carnivora and beyond, on the complexity and sequential changes in maternal provision of micrometabolites in the immediate period after birth

Prolonged transition time between colostrum and mature milk in a bear, the giant panda, Ailuropoda melanoleuca

Bears produce the most altricial neonates of any placental mammal. We hypothesized that the transition from colostrum to mature milk in bears reflects a temporal and biochemical adaptation for altricial development and immune protection. Comparison of bear milks with milks of other eutherians yielded distinctive protein profiles. Proteomic and metabolomic analysis of serial milk samples collected from six giant pandas showed a prolonged transition from colostrum to main-phase lactation over approximately 30 days. Particularly striking are the persistence or sequential appearance of adaptive and innate immune factors. The endurance of immunoglobulin G suggests an unusual duration of trans-intestinal absorption of maternal antibodies, and is potentially relevant to the underdeveloped lymphoid system of giant panda neonates. Levels of certain milk oligosaccharides known to exert anti-microbial activities and/or that are conducive to the development of neonatal gut microbiomes underwent an almost complete changeover around days 20–30 postpartum, coincident with the maturation of the protein profile. A potential metabolic marker of starvation was detected, the prominence of which may reflect the natural postpartum period of anorexia in giant panda mothers. Early lactation in giant pandas, and possibly in other ursids, appears to be adapted for the unique requirements of unusually altricial eutherian neonates

Integration of remote-sensing based metrics and econometric models to assess the socio-economic contributions of carbon sequestration in unmanaged tropical dry forests

Carbon sequestration by forests is one of the vital ecosystem services regulating the global climate. Equally important are the socio-economic co-benefits of carbon sequestration, given their implications for designing policies focused on conservation or restoration of tropical forests. Much debate has been around how to account for, and maximize, the co-benefits of carbon sequestration. Prior research suggests that a better understanding of the spatial relationship between carbon sequestration potential and forest types and dynamics - as a function of geographical context and time - is needed to better estimate their socio-economic benefits. Hence, this paper uses the Tropical Dry Forests of Central and South America to propose a new approach to quantify carbon sequestration of this biome, and its efficiency, using time series of the Terra-MODIS satellite. Our estimations of carbon sequestration are then coupled with a benefit transfer approach to infer carbon sequestration's monetary cost. Results reveal that these tropical forests sequester an annual average of 22.3 ​± ​3.3 tCO2 ha-1 yr-1 or in total, 1.16 GtCO2. The associated social cost of carbon, calculated using three econometric models, ranges from USD 489 ​ha-1 ​yr-1 to USD 2828 ​ha-1 ​yr-1. These results can open new perspectives regarding the benefits of carbon sequestration against the costs of the negative impacts of climate change for national welfare accounts, their relevance for environmental policy-making, and the implementation or monitoring of carbon-based incentive programs (e.g., WAVES)

Changeover from signalling to energy-provisioning lipids during transition from colostrum to mature milk in the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)

Among the large placental mammals, ursids give birth to the most altricial neonates with the lowest neonatal:maternal body mass ratios. This is particularly exemplified by giant pandas. To examine whether there is compensation for the provision of developmentally important nutrients that other species groups may provide in utero, we examined changes in the lipids of colostrum and milk with time after birth in giant pandas. Lipids that are developmental signals or signal precursors, and those that are fundamental to nervous system construction, such as docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and phosphatidylserines, appear early and then fall dramatically in concentration to a baseline at 20-30 days. The dynamics of lysophosphatidic acid and eicosanoids display similar patterns, but with progressive differences between mothers. Triglycerides occur at relatively low levels initially and increase in concentration until a plateau is reached at about 30 days. These patterns indicate an early provision of signalling lipids and their precursors, particularly lipids crucial to brain, retinal and central nervous system development, followed by a changeover to lipids for energy metabolism. Thus, in giant pandas, and possibly in all bears, lactation is adapted to provisioning a highly altricial neonate to a degree that suggests equivalence to an extension of gestation

Az amurgéb (Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877) egy álló- és egy folyóvízi populációjának táplálkozásökológiai vizsgálata

Az utóbbi két évtizedben a Távol‐Keletről származó amurgéb (Perccottus glenii) inváziója figyelhető meg Kelet‐ és Közép‐Európában. Munkánk során az amurgéb évszakonkénti részletes táplálkozásökológiai elemzését tűztük ki célul egy állóvízben (a Rakamaz-Tiszanagyfalui‐Nagy‐morotvában) és egy vízfolyásban (a Lónyay‐főcsatornában). A legjelentősebb táplálékszervezeteknek az árvaszúnyogok (Chironomidae), szitakötők (Odonata), rákok (Crustacea) és kérészek (Ephemeroptera) bizonyultak. A faj táplálkozásának intenzitásában nem tapasztalható méret, évszak és hely által befolyásolt változás. Táplálékának összetételét legfőképp a halak mérete befolyásolja, amelynek hatása erősebbnek bizonyult az élőhelyi és évszakos hatásoknál is. Kutatásaink igazolják, hogy az amurgé a vízi táplálékhálózat számos szintjét (kompartmentjét) befolyásolhatja, elsősorban azonban a makroszkopikus gerinctelen szervezetek hatékony predátora

Evaluation of the Effect of Nano and Micro Hydroxyapatite Particles on the Impact Strength of Acrylic Resin: In Vitro Study

Poly (methylmethacrylate) is considered the basis material for a denture base. However, such substance has some drawbacks such as poor impact resistance, which is thought to be the primary cause of fracture of denture base resins. The purpose of the study was to determine how Nano and Micro hydroxyapatite particles affected the impact strength of acrylic resin. Thirty specimens were constructed of heat-cured acrylic resin and were divided into three groups: Ten specimens for the control, 10 for 1%nano hydroxyapatite, and 10 for micro hydroxyapatite. Acrylic samples were subjected to an impact strength test via a Charpy-type. Data were then analysed using SPSS v20. The ANOVA test was used for comparison among the groups. Highly statistically significant differences among all studied groups (P-value <0.0001). Both 5% Micro hydroxyapatite and 1% Nano hydroxyapatite had a higher mean value than the control. Incorporating Nano and Micro hydroxyapatite into PMMA improved the impact strength of acrylic resins

Microbial exposures in moisture-damaged schools and associations with respiratory symptoms in students : A multi-country environmental exposure study

Moisture-damaged buildings are associated with respiratory symptoms and underlying diseases among building occupants, but the causative agent(s) remain a mystery. We first identified specific fungal and bacterial taxa in classrooms with moisture damage in Finnish and Dutch primary schools. We then investigated associations of the identified moisture damage indicators with respiratory symptoms in more than 2700 students. Finally, we explored whether exposure to specific taxa within the indoor microbiota may explain the association between moisture damage and respiratory health. Schools were assessed for moisture damage through detailed inspections, and the microbial composition of settled dust in electrostatic dustfall collectors was determined using marker-gene analysis. In Finland, there were several positive associations between particular microbial indicators (diversity, richness, individual taxa) and a respiratory symptom score, while in the Netherlands, the associations tended to be mostly inverse and statistically non-significant. In Finland, abundance of the Sphingomonas bacterial genus and endotoxin levels partially explained the associations between moisture damage and symptom score. A few microbial taxa explained part of the associations with health, but overall, the observed associations between damage-associated individual taxa and respiratory health were limited.Peer reviewe