ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of bamboo vinegar (BV) on production performance, egg quality, antioxidant status, and serum biochemical parameters of laying hens during summer. One hundred twenty 36-week-old Hy-Line Brown laying hens were randomly assigned to 4 groups, with 30 hens per group. The control group was fed a basal diet and 1 mL/kg, 5 mL/kg, and 10 mL/kg BV were added to the basal diet of the 0.1% BV, 0.5% BV and 1.0% BV groups, respectively. The experiment lasted 30 days and showed that the production performance was not significantly affected by the addition of BV (p>0.05). Egg shape index and glutathione peroxidase activity in serum in BV-supplemented groups were significantly increased (p<0.05). The total protein and the albumin content in the 0.1% BV, 0.5% BV, and 1.0% BV groups were significantly increased compared to the control group (p<0.05). These results suggested that dietary BV could improve the antioxidant capacity and the egg shape index of laying hens in summer.

To reduce the frequency of mining incidents and improve safety and production efficiency, it is important to develop technology for the autonomous positioning and navigation of mining equipment, without the assistance of satellite navigation signals. In this study we review the current technological environment for positioning and navigation underground and present several integrated navigation strategies. Existing underground positioning and navigation technology is described, and the performances of different methods based on this technology analysed and compared. The combination types and positioning effects of underground positioning and navigation strategies are discussed. Recent research directions for filtering methods and positioning estimation algorithms for underground positioning and navigation are reviewed. Finally, we summarize the future direction of underground positioning and navigation technology and related algorithms.

Carbonylation of nickel obtained by reduction of nickel oxide and selectively reduced Australian laterite ore was studied at temperatures of 80-100°C and CO gauge pressures of 0-56 atm. The effects of sulphur-containing catalysts on the nickel carbonylation were also examined. The results show that the extent of nickel carbonylation increased with increasing temperature from 80 to 100°C at constant CO pressure. The carbonylation of nickel at 100°C and CO gauge pressure 27 atm. was close to completion after 5.5 hours of reaction. At all temperatures, the effect of CO pressure was very strong when the gauge pressure was increased from zero to 14 atm. Sulphur-containing catalysts accelerated the carbonylation reaction. The time for complete carbonylation of nickel was reduced from 5.5 hours in the non-catalytic reaction to 2 hours in the catalytic carbonylation at 100°C and CO gauge pressure 14 atm. The extent of carbonylation of nickel from the selectively reduced laterite ore with particle size 53-200 μηι at 100°C and CO gauge pressure 41 atm. was below 50%. The use of catalysts in the carbonylation of selectively reduced ore was ineffective. The rate of reaction increased with decreasing particle size and increasing gas flow rate.

People who suffer from traumatic brain injury (TBI) often experience cognitive deficits in spatial reference and working memory. The possible roles of cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1) in learning and memory impairment in mice with TBI are far from well known. Adult mice subjected to TBI were treated with the COX-1 selective inhibitor SC560. Performance in the open field and on the beam walk was then used to assess motor and behavioral function 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days following injury. Acquisition of spatial learning and memory retention was assessed using the Morris water maze on day 15 post-TBI. The expressions of COX-1, prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), interleukin (IL)-6, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), synapsin-I, and synaptophysin were detected in TBI mice. Administration of SC560 improved performance of beam walk tasks as well as spatial learning and memory after TBI. SC560 also reduced expressions of inflammatory markers IL-6 and PGE2, and reversed the expressions of COX-1, BDNF, PDGF-BB, synapsin-I, and synaptophysin in TBI mice. The present findings demonstrated that COX-1 might play an important role in cognitive deficits after TBI and that selective COX-1 inhibition should be further investigated as a potential therapeutic approach for TBI.

Our objective was to clone, express and characterize adult Dermatophagoides farinae group 1 (Der f 1) allergens to further produce recombinant allergens for future clinical applications in order to eliminate side reactions from crude extracts of mites. Based on GenBank data, we designed primers and amplified the cDNA fragment coding for Der f 1 by nested-PCR. After purification and recovery, the cDNA fragment was cloned into the pMD19-T vector. The fragment was then sequenced, subcloned into the plasmid pET28a(+), expressed in Escherichia coli BL21 and identified by Western blotting. The cDNA coding for Der f 1 was cloned, sequenced and expressed successfully. Sequence analysis showed the presence of an open reading frame containing 966 bp that encodes a protein of 321 amino acids. Interestingly, homology analysis showed that the Der p 1 shared more than 87% identity in amino acid sequence with Eur m 1 but only 80% with Der f 1. Furthermore, phylogenetic analyses suggested that D. pteronyssinus was evolutionarily closer to Euroglyphus maynei than to D. farinae, even though D. pteronyssinus and D. farinae belong to the same Dermatophagoides genus. A total of three cysteine peptidase active sites were found in the predicted amino acid sequence, including 127-138 (QGGCGSCWAFSG), 267-277 (NYHAVNIVGYG) and 284-303 (YWIVRNSWDTTWGDSGYGYF). Moreover, secondary structure analysis revealed that Der f 1 contained an a helix (33.96%), an extended strand (17.13%), a ß turn (5.61%), and a random coil (43.30%). A simple three-dimensional model of this protein was constructed using a Swiss-model server. The cDNA coding for Der f 1 was cloned, sequenced and expressed successfully. Alignment and phylogenetic analysis suggests that D. pteronyssinus is evolutionarily more similar to E. maynei than to D. farinae.