The effects of dietary probiotic inclusion on skeletal health of poultry and its possible mechanisms

Probiotics are live microorganisms which may confer health benefits on the host when administered in appropriate amounts. Numerous studies have shown that probiotics improve bone health in humans and rodents with less information available on the skeletal health of avians given probiotics. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of probiotic supplementation on bone health of egg-laying and meat-type chickens. Dietary supplementation of a multi-species based probiotic reduced the percentage of shell-less eggs beginning at 4 wk following treatment and increased tibial and femoral bone mineral density in egg-laying hens at 7 wk post-treatment. Similarly, bone mineralization accrual of the tibia and femur was improved in broilers subjected to daily cycling heating episodes fed the same probiotic for 6 wk. Broilers consuming the probiotic also had a lower incidence of lameness as characterized by an improved gait score and longer latency to lie. The effects of a single-species based probiotic fed to broilers beginning at 1 d of age on bone health were investigated. Bone mineral densities of the tibia and femur were increased at 43 d of age. Concomitantly, serum calcium concentrations were increased at 14 d of age, serotonin levels were up-regulated in the raphe nuclei, and the catecholamine concentrations of NE and DA were down-regulated in the hypothalamus at 43 d of age. With the exception of bone mineral density, the bone health of probiotic-fed broilers was maintained under elevated temperature as indicated by larger bones and higher bone mineral content of the tibia and femur at 43 d of age accompanied by reduced plasma concentrations of TNF-α, a pro-inflammatory cytokine. Dietary inclusion of probiotics is a useful strategy for improving skeletal health in chickens under both normal and elevated ambient temperature. Probiotics enhance intestinal absorption of nutrients like calcium and may reduce sympathetic activity, thus improving mineralization of bone. Under the condition of daily cycling heating episodes, probiotics increased bone growth and bone size of broilers perhaps via inhibition of bone resorption resulting from the down-regulation of TNF-α, thereby reducing systemic inflammation

Efficient Simulation for Fixed-Receiver Bistatic SAR with Time and Frequency Synchronization Errors

Time and frequency synchronization is the key technique of bistatic synthetic aperture radar (BiSAR) system, and raw data simulation is an effective tool for verifying the time and frequency synchronization techniques. According to the two-dimensional (2-D) frequency spectrum of fixed-receiver BiSAR with time and frequency synchronization errors, a rapid raw data simulation method is proposed in this paper. Through 2-D inverse Stolt transform in 2-D frequency domain and phase compensation in Range-Doppler frequency domain, this method can realize two-dimensional spatial variation simulation for fixed-receiver BiSAR with time and frequency synchronization errors in a reasonable time consumption. Then the simulation efficiency of scene raw data can be significantly improved. Simulation results of point targets and extended scene are presented to validate the feasibility and efficiency of the proposed simulation method

Prevalence of allergic rhinitis among adults in urban and rural areas of China : a population-based cross-sectional survey

Purpose: The aim of the present study was to compare the prevalence of self-reported and confirmable allergic rhinitis (AR) with positive skin prick test (SPT) results among adults living in urban and rural areas of China. Methods: Adults from a community in Beijing and a village in Baoding were selected as representative urban and rural dwellers, respectively. All eligible residents were enrolled from the population register and received a face-to-face interview using modified validated questionnaires. Equal sets of randomly selected self-reporting AR-positive and AR-negative participants who responded to the questionnaires were also investigated using skin prick tests. Results: A total of 803 participants in the rural area and a total of 1,499 participants in the urban area completed the questionnaires, with response rates being 75.9% and 81.5% respectively. The prevalence of self-reported AR of the rural area (19.1%) was significantly higher than that of the urban area (13.5%). The elementary school of educational level increased the risk of having AR (adjusted OR=2.198, 95% CI=1.072-2.236). The positive SET rates among subjects with self-reported AR in the rural and urban areas were 32.5% and 53.3%, respectively; the confirmable AR prevalence of 6.2% and 7.2% among the rural and urban adults, respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of confirmable AR is similar between rural and urban areas in China, although there is a higher prevalence of self-reported AR in the former

Real-time coordinated voltage control of PV inverters and energy storage for weak networks with high PV penetration

There are more large-scale PV plants being established in rural areas due to availability of low priced land. However, distribution grids in such areas traditionally have feeders with low X/R ratios, which makes the independent reactive power compensation method less effective on voltage regulation. Consequently, upstream Step Voltage Regulator (SVR) may suffer from excessive tap operations with PV induced fast voltage fluctuations. Although a battery energy storage system (BESS) can successfully smooth PV generation, frequent charge/discharge will substantially affect its cost effectiveness. In this paper, a real-time method is designed to coordinate PV inverters and BESS for voltage regulation. To keep up with fast fluctuations of PV power, this method will be executed in each 5s control cycle. In addition, charging/discharging power of BESS is adaptively retuned by an active adjustment method in order to avoid BESS premature energy exhaustion in a long run. Finally, through a voltage margin control scheme, the upstream SVR and downstream PV inverters and BESS are coordinated for voltage regulation without any communication. This research is validated via an RTDS-MatLab co-simulation platform, and it will provide valuable insights and applicable strategies to both utilities and PV owners for large-scale PV farm integration into rural networks

Вплив параметрів вакуумної мікрохвильової сушки на фізико-хімічні властивості буряків

In recent years, the consumption of red beetroots has increased significantly due to its good taste, high nutritional value and abundant active compounds. Red beetroot is prone to spoilage due to its high moisture content, making it perishable. Vacuum microwave drying is a gentle drying method by inducing fast water evaporation from food products at low temperature, which can improves the product quality. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of vacuum microwave drying parameters, including microwave power (500, 1000, and 1500 W) and vacuum degree (50, 70, and 90 KPa), on the physicochemical properties (drying time, rehydration ratio, color change, and contents of betalain and total phenolic) of red beetroots. The results showed that microwave power and vacuum degree had significant effects on the physicochemical properties of red beetroots. All the red beetroots after vacuum microwave drying had higher lightness (L*), lower redness (a*) and yellowness (b*) than that of fresh red beetroots. The drying time, rehydration ratio, betacyanin content and betaxanthin content of red beetroots decreased significantly with the increase of microwave power (P < 0.05), while the rehydration ratio, color parameters (a*, b*, and chroma values), betacyanin content and betaxanthin content of red beetroots significantly increased with the increase of vacuum degree (P < 0.05). Compared with other microwave powers, the red beetroots dried at 500 W showed longer drying time, higher rehydration ratio, more yellowish hue, and higher contents of betacyanin and betaxanthin. The lowest values of total color difference (∆E) and hue angle (H°) of dried red beetroots were obtained at microwave power of 1500 W. The dried red beetroots obtained at 90 KPa had the shortest drying time, the highest rehydration ratio, the best color, and the highest contents of betacyanin and betaxanthin. Meanwhile, the red beetroots dried at 50 KPa had the highest total phenolic content (12.47 ± 0.09 mg GAE/g). Based on the physicochemical properties of red beetroots, vacuum microwave drying at low microwave powers and high vacuum degree appears to be a suitable method for drying red beetroots.В останні роки споживання червоного буряка значно зросло завдяки його хорошим смаковим якостям, високій харчовій цінності та великій кількості активних сполук. Червоний буряк схильний до псування через високий вміст вологи, що робить його швидкопсувним. Вакуумна мікрохвильова сушка – це щадний метод сушіння, який викликає швидке випаровування води з харчових продуктів при низькій температурі, що може покращити якість продукту. Метою цього дослідження було дослідити вплив параметрів вакуумної мікрохвильової сушки, включаючи потужність мікрохвильової печі (500, 1000 та 1500 Вт) та ступінь вакууму (50, 70 та 90 КПа), на фізико -хімічні властивості (час висихання, регідратація) співвідношення, зміна кольору та вміст беталаїну та загального фенолу) буряків. Результати показали, що потужність мікрохвильової печі та ступінь вакууму мали значний вплив на фізико-хімічні властивості буряків. Усі червоні буряки після вакуумної сушки в мікрохвильовій печі мали вищу освітленість (L*), нижчу червону (a*) та жовту (b*), ніж свіжа червона буряк. Час висихання, коефіцієнт регідратації, вміст бетаціаніну та вміст бетаксантину в червоному буряці значно зменшилися із збільшенням потужності мікрохвильової печі (P < 0,05), тоді як коефіцієнт регідратації, параметри кольору (значення a*, b* та хроматичність), вміст бетаціаніну та вміст бетаксантину в червоному буряку значно збільшився зі збільшенням ступеня вакууму (Р < 0,05). Порівняно з іншими потужностями мікрохвильової печі, червоний буряк, висушений при 500 Вт, показав більший час висихання, більший коефіцієнт регідратації, більш жовтуватий відтінок та більший вміст бетаціаніну та бетаксантину. Найнижчі значення загальної різниці кольорів (∆E) та кута відтінку (H°) сушеного червоного буряка були отримані при потужності мікрохвильової печі 1500 Вт. Висушені червоні буряки, отримані при 90 кПа, мали найкоротший час висихання, найвищий коефіцієнт регідратації, найкращий колір та найвищий вміст бетаціаніну та бетаксантину. Тим часом червоний буряк, висушений при 50 кПа, мав найвищий загальний вміст фенолу (12,47 ± 0,09 мг GAE/г). Виходячи з фізико-хімічних властивостей червоної буряка, вакуумне мікрохвильове сушіння при малих потужностях мікрохвильового випромінювання та високому ступені вакууму представляється відповідним методом сушіння червоної буряка

Interplay between spin wave and magnetic vortex

In this paper, the interplay between spin wave and magnetic vortex is studied. We find three types of magnon scatterings: skew scattering, symmetric side deflection and back reflection, which associate with respectively magnetic topology, energy density distribution and linear momentum transfer torque within vortex. The vortex core exhibits two translational modes: the intrinsic circular mode and a coercive elliptical mode, which can be excited based on permanent and periodic magnon spin-transfer torque effects of spin wave. Lastly, we propose a vortex-based spin wave valve in which via inhomogeneity modulation we access arbitrary control of the phase shift.Comment: 33 pages, 23 figures, 1 tabl

The Design and Research of the “University Computer Foundation” Course Based on Flipped Classroom

With the rapid development of computer technology, the teaching concept and teaching mode of computer basic course in universities have not been able to adapt to the development of the times, and need to be updated and reform. In this context, flipped classroom teaching model will make a great contribution to the reform of the curriculum. This paper expounds the problems existing in the teaching of basic computer courses in universities and colleges, and explores the effective ways of the reform of basic computer courses in universities

Selective Adsorption and Separation of (−)-Epigallocatechin Gallate (EGCG) based on Silica Gel Surface Molecularly Imprinted Polymers

AbstractTo separate and enrich EGCG from a mixture of tea catechins, the molecular imprinted polymers (MIPs) were synthesized on silica gel by surface molecular imprinting technique and characterized with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), elemental analysis and scanning electronic microscopy (SEM). MIPs exhibited favorable recognition, better selectivity for EGCG than the other monomers, and the descending order was EGCG, (+)-catechin (C), (−)-epicatechin (EC), (−)-epigallocatechin (EGC), (−)-catechin gallate (CG) and (−)-gallocatechin gallate (GCG). These results demonstrated that MIPs could realize the separation and enrichment of EGCG in real sample

The Status of Pro-social Tendency of Left-Behind Adolescents in China: How Family Function and Self-Esteem Affect Pro-social Tendencies

In China, adolescents are frequently left behind. To date, few studies have focused on the pro-social tendencies of left-behind adolescents and the relationship of family function, self-esteem, and pro-social tendency is yet to be examined. This study, therefore, aims to understand the status of pro-social tendency of left-behind adolescents and to explore the mediating and moderating roles of self-esteem in the relationship between family function and pro-social tendency. A large, school-based survey was conducted in three Chinese provinces. An analysis of covariance was first used to identify the differences in pro-social tendency between adolescents who were and were not left behind. We then analyzed the variance within left-behind adolescents using demographics, left-behind type, years of being left-behind, and caregiver related characteristics. A structural equation model was used to analyze the relationship of family function, self-esteem, and pro-social tendency, with bootstrapping used to explore the mediating role of self-esteem. Additionally, an ordinary least squares regression was used to examine the moderating effect of self-esteem. The results showed that the pro-social tendency of left-behind adolescents was lower than in non-left-behind adolescents (F = 15.11, p = 0.0001). Family function was positive related to pro-social tendency (r = 0.259), which had not only a direct effect on pro-social tendency (β = 0.254), but also an indirect effect through self-esteem (β = 0.071, bias-corrected 95% CI: 0.051:0.090; percentile 95% CI: 0.053:0.092). Additionally, 21.85% of the total effect of family function on pro-social tendency was mediated by self-esteem. Furthermore, self-esteem negatively moderated the relationship between family function and pro-social tendency (β = -0.208, p < 0.0001), such that the effect of family function on pro-social tendency became weaker as self-esteem increased. The current study verified the negative effect of being left behind on the social development of adolescents and contributed to the understanding of the importance of self-esteem in the relationship between family function and pro-social tendency. Interventions aimed at enhancing self-esteem should be developed and implemented in left-behind adolescents to promote wellness in the entirety of psychological and social outcomes

A Comparison Study of Tie Non-response Treatments in Social Networks Analysis

Analysis of social network data often faces the problem of tie non-response. Recent studies show that the results of social network analyses can be severely biased if tie non-response was ignored. To overcome the problems created by tie non-response, several treatments were proposed in the literature: complete-case approach, unconditional mean imputation, reconstruction, and multiple imputation. In this paper we assessed the impact of tie non-response on social network analysis and investigated the performance of four treatments to handle tie non-response. The simulation results showed that ignoring tie non-response data in network analysis could underestimate the degree and centralization of social networks depending on the types of network and the proportion of missing ties. We also found that unconditional mean imputation was the best tie non-response treatment. Multiple imputation could successfully correct for tie non-response in a few specific situations. Complete case approach and reconstruction, however, were not recommended. We advocate the importance of further research to better understand consequences of tie non-response in social networks analysis and to provide statistical guidance to researchers to tackle this problem in the field