ABSTRACT The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary fiber on growth performance, fat deposition, serum lipids, fat metabolism, and mRNA (messenger RNA) expression of lipoprotein lipase (LPL) in Jilin white and Carlos geese. Sixty Jilin white and sixty Carlos geese aged six-weeks and of similar health and weight (average weight 313.11g) were selected. Geese of each breed were randomly divided into two groups (n=30), and with each group containing three replicate subgroups of 10 geese. The diet was supplemented with 8% or 11% fiber (corn straw powder). The Jilin white geese are divided into A1 (8%) and A2 (11%) groups, and Carlos geese are divided into B1 (8%) and B2 (11%) groups. The experiment lasted 35 days. The results showed that high dietary fiber can significantly (p<0.05) increase average daily feed intake (ADFI), significantly (p<0.05) reduce final weight (FW) and average daily gain (ADG) of both varieties, and increase LPL mRNA expression levels in abdominal fat, liver, sebum, and urethral glands. High dietary fiber accelerates intestinal peristalsis, affects the absorption of other nutrients, reduces the available energy value of the absorbed feed, and increases fat loss. Compared with the to Carlos geese, high dietary fiber content had a more significant effect on the live, slaughter, and sebum weights and sebum percentage of the Jilin white geese, indicating that the Carlos geese have higher requirements for dietary fiber content. High fiber content will reduce the growth performance, slaughter performance, and fat deposition of geese.

ABSTRACT Objective: To explore the correlation analysis of serum N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), potential of hydrogen (pH) value and carbon dioxide (PaCO2) in patients with different degrees of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their significances. Methods: Clinical data were collected from 126 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The correlation analysis of NT-proBNP, pH-value and PaCO2 in patients was performed and compared with 50 patients of the same period. The serum NT-proBNP concentration was measured by using bidirectional lateral flow immunoassay, pH-value was detected with the ion electrode selection method and PaCO2 was detected with the gas sensitive electrode method. Results: The concentration of serum NT-proBNP and PaCO2 in COPD patients was significantly higher than those in the healthy group. The pH-value in COPD patients was lower than that in the healthy group (p < 0.05). The concentration of serum NT-proBNP and PaCO2 in Grades 1 and 2 COPD patients was higher than those in the healthy control group. The pH-value was lower than that in the healthy control group. But the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). The concentration of serum NT-proBNP and PaCO2 in Grades 3 and 4 COPD patients were higher than those in the healthy control group. The pH-value was lower than that in the healthy control group (p < 0.05). The linear correlation analysis showed that serum NT-proBNP was negatively correlated with pH-value and positively correlated with PaCO2 in COPD patients. Conclusion: The regular detection of serum NT-proBNP, pH-value and PaCO2 in COPD patients can detect earlier disease progression in COPD patients, which is conducive to the active treatment of COPD and with change of life style, can improve the quality of life of patients.

RESUMEN Objetivo: Explorar el análisis de la correlación del péptido natriurético N-terminal pro-tipo-B sérico (NT-proBNP), el potencial del valor del hidrógeno (pH) y la presión parcial de dióxido de carbono (PaCO2) en pacientes con diferentes grados de enfermedad pulmonar obstructiva crónica (EPOC) y sus significados. Métodos: Los datos clínicos fueron recogidos a partir de 126 pacientes con EPOC. El análisis de la correlación NT-proBNP, valor de pH y PaCO2 en los pacientes fue realizado y comparado con 50 pacientes del mismo período. La concentración NT-proBNP del suero fue medida usando el inmunoensayo de flujo lateral bidireccional, el valor de pH fue detectado con el método de electrodos selectivos de iones, y el PaCO2 se detectó con el método de electrodos sensibles al gas. Resultados: La concentración de NT-proBNP y PaCO2 en suero en los pacientes con EPOCfue significativamente mayor que en el grupo sano. El valor de pH en los pacientes con EPOC fue más bajo que en el grupo sano (p < 0.05). La concentración de NT-proBNP y PaCO2 en suero de los pacientes con EPOC de grado 1 y grado 2 fue más alta que la del grupo de control sano. El valor de pH fue más bajo que en el grupo de control sano. Pero la diferencia no fue estadísticamente significativa (p > 0.05). La concentración de NT-proBNP y PaCO2 en suero en los pacientes con EPOC de grado 3 y grado 4 fue más alta que en los del grupo de control sano. El valor de pH fue más bajo que en el grupo de control sano (p < 0.05). El análisis de la correlación linear mostró que el NT-proBNP en suero guardaba una correlación negativa con el valor de pH y una correlación positiva con PaCO2 en los pacientes con EPOC. Conclusión: El análisis regular de NT-proBNP en suero, valor de pH, y PaCO2 en los pacientes con EPOC puede detectar una progresión temprana de la enfermedad en pacientes con EPOC, y por ende conducir al tratamiento activo de EPOC y a un cambio de estilo de vida, que final-mente mejore la calidad de vida de los pacientes.

Four types of soil (red, yellow, cinnamon, and paddy soil) from China were used to conduct experiments in pots to study the influence of humic acid (humic acid (HA) and fulvic acid (FA)) on the accumulation of lead (Pb) and cadmium (Cd) in tobacco leaves. In non-polluted soils, the tobacco leaf uptake of Cd was dramatically influenced by the total soil metal concentration and soil properties, with no relationship observed for Pb. However, in soils that were polluted with 500 mg kg-1 of Pb or10 mg kg-1 of Cd, negative relationships were observed between the soil pH and the metal concentration in the tobacco leaves. When the soil was polluted with Pb, the application of 4 g kg-1 humic acids (HA or FA) decreased the leaf Pb concentration by 17.78%-48.32% in the acidic red and paddy soils but increased the concentration by 11.69%-37.54% in the alkaline cinnamon soil. A 8.74%-32.84% decrease in the leaf Cd concentration occurred in the acidic soils due to 4 g kg-1 HA, while there was a 4.45%-8.13% decrease and a 14.20%-46.37% increase in leaf Cd concentration in the yellow and cinnamon soils when HA and FA were applied, respectively. This finding suggests that the effects of humic acids on metal availability to plants in soil were pH-dependent, with inhibitory and stimulatory effects on acidic and alkaline soils, respectively. Therefore, humic acids (HA and FA) could be used to reduce Pb and Cd accumulation in plants growing in polluted acidic soil but not in alkaline soils.

In this paper, the tracking control problem is considered for the payload transportation with an underactuated two-dimensional overhead crane. Two sliding mode controllers are designed to perform the trajectory tracking. One is proposed to control hoisting and lowering the suspended payload, and the other one is proposed to control both trolley positioning and payload swaying. Considering the second sliding mode controller is used to control two degrees of freedom (DOFs), a fuzzy inference algorithm is proposed to dynamically adjust the coupling factor between the two DOFs. The two controllers make the payload track a predefined trajectory and be safely transported as fast and accurately as possible with a small swing angle, and then place the payload at the desired position. Simulations are performed with the proposed controllers and the results show their effectiveness.

The degradation of cephalexin in aqueous solution under ultrasound irradiation was investigated. Biodegradability of the solution was evaluated by the BOD5/COD ratio, which was raised from zero to 0.36 after ultrasound treatment, indicating that the ultrasound irradiation process is a successful pre-treatment step to improve the biodegradability of cephalexin solution. The influences of ultrasound power and pH value on the degradation of cephalexin were studied. It was found that the optimal ultrasound power for cephalexin degradation in the system was 200 W and the rate of cephalexin degradation was maximal in the pH range of 6.5 to 8.5. The degradation kinetics of cephalexin in aqueous solution under various operational conditions was also investigated. It was found that the degradation of cephalexin follows a pseudo-first order kinetics.