Oregano essential oil modulates colonic homeostasis and intestinal barrier function in fattening bulls

Oregano essential oil (OEO) primarily contains phenolic compounds and can serve as a dietary supplement for fattening bulls. However, the precise molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon remains largely elusive. Therefore, this study investigated the impact of adding OEO to diet on the integrity of the intestinal barrier, composition of the colonic microbiome, and production of microbial metabolites in fattening bulls. Our goal was to provide insights into the utilization of plant essential oil products in promoting gastrointestinal health and welfare in animals. We employed amplicon sequencing and metabolome sequencing techniques to investigate how dietary supplementation with OEO impacted the intestinal barrier function in bulls. The inclusion of OEO in the diet resulted in several notable effects on the colon of fattening bulls. These effects included an increase in the muscle thickness of the colon, goblet cell number, short-chain fatty acid concentrations, digestive enzyme activity, relative mRNA expression of intestinal barrier-related genes, and relative expression of the anti-inflammatory factor IL-10. Additionally, α-amylase activity and the relative mRNA expression of proinflammatory cytokines decreased. Moreover, dietary OEO supplementation increased the abundance of intestinal Bacteroides, Coprobacillus, Lachnospiraceae_UCG_001, and Faecalitalea. Metabolomic analysis indicated that OEO primarily increased the levels of 5-aminovaleric acid, 3-methoxysalicylic acid, and creatinine. In contrast, the levels of maltose, lactulose, lactose, and D-trehalose decreased. Correlation analysis showed that altered colonic microbes and metabolites affected intestinal barrier function. Taken together, these results demonstrate that OEO facilitates internal intestinal environmental homeostasis by promoting the growth of beneficial bacteria while inhibiting harmful ones

Have the construction of China’s software industry bases improved the level of manufacturing servitization?

This paper takes the software industry base of national torch plan as the research object, describes its construction process and distribution characteristics for more than 20 years, and uses the cross-sectional data of 2007, 2012 and 2017, Empirically test the impact of software industry base on the service level of manufacturing industry in the region, and further analyze the regulatory effect of regional intellectual property protection intensity. It is found that the overall scale of the national software industry base has expanded steadily in recent 20 years, but the spatial distribution is extremely unbalanced. The software industry base in the eastern region is significantly stronger than that in the central and western regions in terms of base number and base income. The construction and development of software industry base can significantly improve the service level of manufacturing industry in the region. After the robustness test, the conclusion is still valid. The results of regional heterogeneity test show that with the deepening of industrialization, the construction of software industry base plays a more obvious role in improving the service-oriented manufacturing industry in the eastern region. The results of industry heterogeneity test show that the construction of software industry base can more effectively improve the service-oriented level of technology intensive manufacturing industry. The results of regulation effect test show that the strength of local intellectual property protection and strengthening the construction of software industry base have a positive regulation effect on the service level of manufacturing industry

Effects of Boride Orientation and Si Content on High-Temperature Oxidation Resistance of Directionally Solidified Fe–B Alloys

In this work, the as-cast directionally solidified (DS) Fe–B alloys with various Si contents and different boride orientation were designed and fabricated, and the as-cast microstructures and static oxidation behaviors of the DS Fe–B alloys were investigated extensively. The as-cast microstructure of the DS Fe–B alloys consists of the well-oriented Fe2B columnar grains and α-Fe, which are strongly refined by Si addition. The oxidation interface of the scales in the DS Fe–B alloy with 3.50 wt.% Si demonstrates an obvious saw-tooth shaped structure and is embedded into the alternating distributed columnar layer structures of the DS Fe–B alloy with oriented Fe2B and α-Fe matrix, which is beneficial to improve the anti-peeling performance of the oxide film compared with lower amounts of Si addition in DS Fe–B alloys with oriented Fe2B [002] orientation parallel to the oxidation direction (i.e., oxidation diffusion direction, labeled as Fe2B// sample). In the DS Fe–B alloys with oriented Fe2B [002] orientation vertical to the oxidation direction (i.e., labeled as Fe2B⊥ sample), due to the blocking and barrier effect of laminated-structure boride, Si is mainly enriched in the lower part of the oxide film to form a dense SiO2 thin layer adhered to layered boride. As a result, the internal SiO2 thin layer plays an obstructed and shielded role in oxidation of the substrate, which hinders the further internal diffusion of oxygen ions and improves the anti-oxidation performance of the Fe2B⊥ sample, making the average anti-oxidation performance better than that of the Fe2B// sample

Characterization of the complete mitochondrial genome of the Meiren yak (Bos grunniens)

In this study, high-throughput Illumina sequencing was employed to assemble the complete mitochondrial genome of the Meiren yak (Bos grunniens), a local yak breed from Gansu Province, China. The mitochondrial genome is 16,321 bp long with an A + T-biased nucleotide composition and harbors 13 protein-coding, 22 Trna, and 2 rRNA genes, and a noncoding control region. The mitogenomic organization and codon usage are highly similar to those of previously published congeneric mitochondrial genomes. Bayesian phylogenetic analysis indicates that Meiren yak is most closely related to nine other yak breeds (incl. Datong, Huanhu, Pali, Pamir, Polled, Qilian, Seron, Sunan, and Tianjun yaks)

Effect of Silicon Content on Microstructures and Properties of Directionally Solidified Fe-B Alloy

In order to investigate the effect of Si content on the microstructures and properties of directionally solidified (DS) Fe-B alloy, a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with an energy dispersive spectrum (EDS), and X-ray diffraction have been employed to investigate the as-cast microstructures of DS Fe-B alloy. The results show that Si can strongly refine the columnar microstructures of the DS Fe-B alloy, and the columnar grain thickness of the oriented Fe2B is reduced with the increase of Si addition. In addition, Si is mainly distributed in the ferrite matrix, almost does not dissolve in boride, and seems to segregate in the center of the columnar ferrite to cause a strong solid solution strengthening and refinement effect on the matrix, thus raising the microhardness of the matrix and bulk hardness of the DS Fe-B alloy

Comparative Analysis of mRNA and miRNA Expression between Dermal Papilla Cells and Hair Matrix Cells of Hair Follicles in Yak

The interaction between the dermal papilla cells (DPCs) and epidermal hair matrix cells (HMCs) of hair follicles (HFs) is crucial for the growth and development of HFs, but the molecular mechanism is complex and remains unclear. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are the key signaling molecules for cellular communication. In this study, the DPCs and HMCs of yak were isolated and cultured, and the differentially expressed mRNA and miRNA were characterized to analyze the molecular basis of the interaction between DPCs and HMCs during hair follicle (HF) development in yak. The mRNA differential expression and functional enrichment analysis revealed that there were significant differences between DPCs and HMCs, and they showed the molecular functional characteristics of dermal cells and epidermal cells, respectively. Multiple KEGG pathways related to HF development were enriched in the highly expressed genes in DPCs, while the pathways associated with microbiota and immunity were significantly enriched in the highly expressed genes in HMCs. By combining analysis with our previous 10× genomics single-cell transcriptome data, 39 marker genes of DPCs of yak were identified. A total of 123 relatively specifically expressed miRNAs were screened; among these, the miRNAs associated with HF development such as miR-143, miR-214, miR-125b, miR-31, and miR-200 were presented. In conclusion, the large changes in yak DPCs and HMCs for both mRNA and miRNA expression were revealed, and numerous specifically expressed mRNAs and miRNAs in DPCs or HMCs were identified, which may contribute to the interaction and cellular communication between DPCs and HMCs during HF development in yak

Solvent stable nanoporous poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) barrier membranes for liquid-liquid extraction of lithium from a salt lake brine

© 2016 Elsevier B.V. Loss of organic extraction in membrane extraction process could be avoided by using an ion permeable, solvent stable barrier membrane. Development of solvent stable materials has been a key issue for liquid-liquid membrane extraction. A new type of solvent resistant membrane, prepared from block copolymer poly (ethylene-co-vinyl alcohol) (EVAL) via immersion precipitation, is introduced as the barrier in membrane extraction of lithium from a real salt lake brine. The influence of EVAL concentration on the casting solution viscosity and the membrane properties was investigated. The membranes were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), water uptake, pure water flux, mechanical strength, and Li+ diffusion flux. Membrane phase separation was conducted at a temperature below the crystallization temperature of the polymer to ensure suitable membrane structure. The membrane prepared from 30 wt% EVAL content showed a Li+ flux of 2.7×10-8 mol cm-2 s-1 at a Li+ feed concentration of 0.1 mol/L in a diffusion test. Using a tributylphosphate (TBP)/kerosene extractant, the lithium flux in a membrane extraction showed a linear relationship with the feed lithium concentration. In addition, long term stability tests showed a stable lithium extraction flux for about 1037 h. These results indicate that EVAL material is a promising stabilizing barrier membrane in liquid-liquid extraction of lithium