Coal spontaneous combustion in longwall gobs is a major concern in coal mines. In comparison to other hazards, this phenomenon is difficult to detect. Fifteen factors influencing coal spontaneous combustion in longwall gobs were identified from the literature. The logical relationships between these factors were evaluated and quantified by decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory (DEMATEL) and interpretive structural modelling (ISM) methods. A four-level hierarchical structure model was established. The research shows that combining DEMATEL and ISM can reveal the key factors that influence coal spontaneous combustion in longwall gobs and establish the interactions and relationships among these factors. The results can provide the basis for preventing and controlling coal spontaneous combustion in longwall gobs.

ABSTRACT Chicken abdominal fat (AF) is an economically important trait, and many studies have been conducted on genetic selection for AF. However, previous studies have focused on detecting functional chromosome mutations or regions using gene chips. The present study used the specific-locus amplified fragment sequencing (SLAF-seq) technology to perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS) on purebred Wengshang Barred chicken. A total of 1,286,715 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected, and 175,211 SNPs were selected as candidate SNPs for genome-wide association analysis using TASSEL general linear models. Two SNPs markers reached genome-wide significance. Of these, rs7943847, rs127627362 were significantly associated with AF at 120 days. These SNPs are close to eight genes (SLC16A6, ARSG, WIPI1, PRKAR1A, FAM20A, ABCA8, ABCA9, CPQ,). These results would enrich the studies on AF and promote the use of Chinese chicken, especially the Wenshang Barred chicken.

ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the effect of tetramethylpyrazine (TMP) supplementation on egg production, nutrient retention and cecal microbiota diversity using 288 commercial Hy-Line brown hens as of wk 75 to 86. Four treatments consisted of TMP addition at 0 (control, basal diet), 100, 150 and 200 mg/kg of diet. The results showed that diets supplemented with TMP addition improved egg-laying rate as of wk 77 compared to the control, which led to an increase (p<0.001) of egg mass by 97-225 g/hen throughout the whole trial, and a linear increase (p=0.003) of egg mass to the incremental TMP doses was found. At wk 86, the apparent digestibilities of dry matter and crude protein were enhanced (p<0.05), exhibiting consistent linear increases (p≤0.033) with the TMP doses. However, TMP did not cause alpha and beta diversity of cecal microbiota. The results suggest that TMP can be an additive to improve egg production and nutrient digestibility of aged laying hens.

ABSTRACT Chicken coccidiosis is a common and severe parasitic disease caused by infection from Eimeria spp., which affects the integrity of the intestinal mucosa. TGF-β has been shown to play an important role in the healing of intestinal mucosas, immunity, and the maintenance of bowel mucosa integrity. Very little is known about the presence of the components of TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway of chicken at different times following coccidian infection. In the present study, we measured the levels of TGF-β2, 3, 4, receptor TβRI, II, down-stream Smad 2, 3, 7 in cecum and spleen of chicken at different times after inoculation with Eimeria tenella using quantitative real-time PCR. The results showed that the TGF-β/Smads signaling pathway was not activated in cecum in the early stage of infection. However, on the 8th day, the expression of TGF-β2, 4, down-stream protein Smad 2, 7 were significant up-regulated in the spleen, which indicated that the TGF-β/Smads signaling was changed in the E. tenella infection and was differentially expressed in various tissues in the early stages of infection.

ABSTRACT Objective: To study the influence of different dialysis frequency on microinflammation for the maintenance haemodialysis patients. Methods: Fifty-three maintenance haemodialysis patients with chronic kidney disease were divided into three groups. Groups A, B and C dialysed three times per week, twice per week and three times per 2 weeks, respectively. Total time was 1 year. The index of microinflammation state was measured in all patients before and after 1 year. Results: There were significant differences in the index of microinflammation state between any two groups. Conclusion: Patients who dialysed less than two times each week had a higher rate of microinflammation state. This showed that dialysis frequency was important for maintenance hae- modialysis.

ABSTRACT This experiment aimed to investigate whether Escherichia coli (E. coli) infection could affect the TGF-β/smads signaling pathway in the jejunal tissue of chickens. One-day-old Cobb 500 broilers were randomly divided into 2 groups and treated with intraperitoneal E. coli or broth injection. Clinical signs of the birds were assessed every day. Spleen and bursa of Fabricius of the birds, post-infection (pi), were collected to evaluate immune organ index. Jejunal tissues were collected to ascertain the expression of TGF-βs, TβRs, and Smads. The results showed that the infected birds had significantly higher index of the spleen (24hrs and 48hrs pi) compared with birds in the control group (p<0.05). The relative gene expression of TGF-β4 increased (p<0.05), while the expression of Smad7 down-regulated in the E. coli group (p<0.01). There was no significant difference in TGF-β2, TGF-β3, TβR I, TβR II, Smad2, Smad3 expression (p>0.05). In conclusion, TGF-β/Smad signaling pathway was associated with the immune response of broilers in E. coli infection and TGF-β4 was the main subtype interacting with E. coli infection.

Naringin is a major flavanone derivate that has many important biological functions in animals. However, its effect on pigs is unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of naringin supplementation on performance, carcass traits, meat quality and oxidative stability in finishing pigs. Ninety-six pigs, with an average initial body weight of 66.2 ± 0.63 kg, were randomly divided into four groups. One group was fed a basal diet without supplementation (control), and the three others were fed diets supplemented with 0.5, 1.0 or 1.5 g naringin /kg DM of feed for 50 days. Each treatment was replicated six times with four pigs per replicate. Feed and water were available ad libitum. The 0.5 g/kg naringin treatment group had an improved loin eye muscle area, reduced serum triglycerides and were leaner compared with the other groups. Pigs in the 1.5 g/kg naringin treatment had higher pH45min values and inosine monophosphate concentrations, and lower MyHC IIb mRNA expression in muscle than the other groups. MyHC IIa mRNA expression was significantly up-regulated in all naringin-supplemented diet groups. Naringin significantly increased superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity and total anti-oxidative capacity in meat, as well as SOD and glutathione peroxidase activity in the liver. These results indicate that the dietary addition of naringin at 0.5 g/kg improved carcass characteristics, while 1.5 g/kg improved the oxidative stability and pork quality in finishing pigs.

ABSTRACT Over-accumulation of triglycerides (TGs) in goose hepatocytes leads to the formation of fatty acid liver. Phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase kinase 1 (PEPCK) is regarded as the rate-limiting enzyme for gluconeogenesis, and there is evidence that PEPCK is involved in regulating hepatic glucolipid metabolism. Hence, we proposed that PEPCK may have a role in goose hepatic steatosis. To test our hypothesis, the present study was conducted to firstly determine the sequence characteristics of goose PEPCK and then to explore its role in overfeeding-induced fatty liver. Our results showed that goose PEPCK encodes a 622-amino-acids protein that contains highly conserved oxaloacetate-binding domain, kinase-1 and kinase-2 motifs. PEPCK had higher mRNA levels in goose liver, and overfeeding markedly increased its expression in livers of both Sichuan White and Landes geese (p<0.05). Besides, expression of PEPCK was positively correlated with hepatic TG levels as well as plasma glucose and insulin concentrations. Additionally, in cultured goose primary hepatocyte, treatment with either oleic acid (0.8, 1.2 or 1.6 mM) or linoleic acid (0.125 or 0.25 mM) significantly (p<0.05) enhanced the expression of PEPCK. Taken together, these data suggested a role for PEPCK in the occurrence of overfeeding-induced goose hepatic steatosis.

Abstract: Hydrogen production from the photocatalytic reforming of glycerol aqueous solution was performed on the CuO@TiO2, NiO@TiO2, NiO@CuO, and CuO@NiO core-shell nanostructured catalysts under simulated solar light irradiation. These catalysts were prepared by the combination of a modified sol-gel and a precipitation-deposition method using hydroxypropyl cellulose as structural linker and they were characterized by powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (UV-Vis DRS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and nitrogen physisorption isotherms techniques. The catalysts containing TiO2 as a shell and CuO as core showed much higher activity compared with those formulated with NiO@CuO, CuO@NiO, and bared CuO or NiO nanoparticles. The highest rate of hydrogen production obtained with the CuO@TiO2 catalyst was as high as 153.8 μmol·g−1h-1, which was 29.0, 24.8, 11.2 and 3.2 times greater than that obtained on CuO@NiO, NiO@CuO, TiO2 P25, and NiO@TiO2 catalyst, respectively. For the high active CuO@TiO2 catalyst, after activation of TiO2 with solar light irradiation, the conduction band electrons can be transferred to CuO core through the heterojunction in the core-shell interfaces which led to CuO gradually reduced to Cu2O, favoring the reduction of proton to release hydrogen.

ABSTRACT To investigate the hypothesis that APS can attenuate E. coli-induced microvascular dysfunction in chicken intestine, 60 0-day old male chickens were divided into three groups with 5 replications of 4 chicks. Chicken in the APS group were treated with 15 mg APS daily while the others were given 0 mg APS for 6 days. Then all 7-day old chicken were injected intraperitoneally by E. coli, except for the chicken in the control group. After 4 h, all chicken’s intestinal samples were collected to detect gene expressions involved in inflammatory factors and adhesion molecules. Results showed that APS attenuated the signs of edema and hemorrhage in 7-day old chicken intestinal mucosa which were induced by E. coli injection. Consistently, APS significantly reduced the increasing mRNA levels of inflammatory factors such as Tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF-a), interleukin (IL) -1β and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) (p<0.05), the same results were observed in vascular adhesion molecules such as E-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1). Moreover, we observed that APS supplementation in water suppressed significantly (p<0.05) the decline of reparative factors such as epithelial growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in E. coli injected group. Furthermore, supplementation with APS substantially blocked (p<0.05) the increase in Toll-like receptor-4 (TLR4) and Nuclear factor (NF)-κB mRNA abundance (p=0.087) induced by E. coli infection. This study indicated that microvascular injured chicken intestine induced by E. coli would be attenuated with feeding APS, and the mechanism of repairing were probably mediated through TLR4-NF-κB signal pathways.

In coal mining in China, the cutting height of the shearer in longwall faces is increasing. Owing to the increase of extraction height, the caved roof strata area is enlarged, and new issues are being encountered, such as determination of a suitable working resistance for the shield and control of the roof. Through field observation and theoretical analysis of the first longwall face with a height of 6.0 m in the Bayangaole mine, a three-stage structural model was developed. Stage I is defined as the period in which the lower immediate roof (LIR) caves into the goaf and is broken into irregular shapes of various sizes. Stage II is defined as the period in which the upper immediate roof (UIR) breaks and impacts the LIR. In stage III, the main roof breaks into blocks and then impacts the UIR. With respect to these three stages, a suitable method was identified for calculating the working resistance of the shield support for a super-great mining height longwall face (SGMHLW).

ABSTRACT The bursa of Fabricius (BF) is the central humoral immune organ unique to birds. The present study investigated the possible difference on a molecular level between two duck breeds. The digital gene expression profiling (DGE) technology was used to enrich the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in BF between the Jianchang and Nonghua-P strains of ducks. DGE data identified 195 DEGs in the bursa. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis suggested that DEGs were mainly enriched in the metabolic pathways and ribosome components. Pathways analysis identified the spliceosome, RNA transport, RNA degradation process, Jak-STAT signaling pathway, TNF signaling pathway and B cell receptor signaling pathway. The results indicated that the main difference in the BF between the two duck strains was in the capabilities of protein formation and B cell development. These data have revealed the main divergence in the BF on a molecular level between genetically different duck breeds and may help to perform molecular breeding programs in poultry in the future.

The effect of training system on the content and composition of flavan-3-ols in seeds throughout the development of Cabernet Sauvignon grapes during two consecutive seasons (2011 to 2012) in the northwest of China was evaluated. The applied training systems include the modified vertical shoot positioned (M-VSP); the fan training system with two trunks (F-TT); and the fan training system with multiple trunks (F-MT). The results show that the pattern of flavan-3-ol accumulation was similar for the three training systems in both vintages, with flavan-3-ols being the highest around véraison, before declining as harvest approaches. Compared to the 2011 vintage, the dry vintage of 2012 had a greater accumulation of total flavan-3-ols and individual flavan-3-ol monomers, including (+)-catechin (C), (-)-epicatechin (EC) and (-)-epicatechin-3-0-gallate (ECG). With regard to the effect of training systems, M-VSP contributed to a significantly higher content of total flavan-3-ols, while the percentage of ECG was lower for M-VSP. As for the three flavan-3-ol units (terminal subunits, extension subunits and monomers), the 2012 vintage was more likely to accumulate extension subunits and monomers, and the effect of training system on these three flavan-3-ols units varied between the different vintages. Meanwhile, the proportion of ECG in terminal subunits and of C in extension subunits was higher in 2012, whereas the training system of F-TT had a higher percentage of ECG in extension subunits in both vintages. In addition, the effect of vintage on the composition of flavan-3-ols in harvested grape seeds was more obvious than that of the training system.

Multiple growth factors can be administered to mimic the natural process of bone healing in bone tissue engineering. We investigated the effects of sequential release of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) from polylactide-poly (ethylene glycol)-polylactide (PELA) microcapsule-based scaffolds on bone regeneration. To improve the double emulsion/solvent evaporation technique, VEGF was encapsulated in PELA microcapsules, to which BMP-2 was attached. The scaffold (BMP-2/PELA/VEGF) was then fused to these microcapsules using the dichloromethane vapor method. The bioactivity of the released BMP-2 and VEGF was then quantified in rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs). Immunoblotting analysis showed that BMP-2/PELA/VEG promoted the differentiation of rMSCs into osteoblasts via the MAPK and Wnt pathways. Osteoblast differentiation was assessed through alkaline phosphatase expression. When compared with simple BMP-2 plus VEGF group and pure PELA group, osteoblast differentiation in BMP-2/PELA/VEGF group significantly increased. An MTT assay indicated that BMP-2-loaded PELA scaffolds had no adverse effects on cell activity. BMP-2/PELA/VEG promoted the differentiation of rMSCs into osteoblast via the ERK1/2 and Wnt pathways. Our findings indicate that the sequential release of BMP-2 and VEGF from PELA microcapsule-based scaffolds is a promising approach for the treatment of bone defects.

Many studies have evaluated the correlation between peptidylarginine deiminase 4 (PADI4) -92C/G polymorphism and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), but the results remain inconclusive. Therefore, we performed a meta-analysis in the Chinese population to provide comprehensive data on the association between PADI4 -92C/G polymorphism and RA. Eligible studies published before May 2016 were identified in PubMed and Chinese databases. The strengths of these associations were assessed by pooled odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Eight studies documenting a total of 1351 RA cases and 1585 controls were included in this meta-analysis. In the overall analysis, a significant association between the PADI4 -92C/G polymorphism and RA was found in the Chinese population (G vs C: OR=1.32, 95%CI=1.02–1.71; GG+CG vs CC: OR=1.75, 95%CI=1.20–2.53). The subgroup analyses stratified by geographic area(s) and source of controls revealed significant results in South China, in hospital-based studies and population-based studies. In summary, this meta-analysis suggested that PADI4 -92C/G polymorphism may be associated with the RA incidence in the Chinese population, especially for South China. Further studies conducted on other ethnic groups are required for definite conclusions.