Effects of maternal supplementation of fish oil during late gestation and lactation on growth performance, fecal microbiota structure and post-weaning diarrhoea of offspring piglets.

Homeostasis of gut microbiota is a critical contributor to growth and health in weaned piglets. Fish oil is widely reported to benefit health of mammals including preventing intestinal dysfunction, yet its protective effect during suckling-to-weaning transition in piglets remains undetermined. Low (30 g/d) and high (60 g/d) doses of n-3-rich fish oil were supplemented in sows from late gestation to lactation. Serum indicators and gut microbiota were determined to evaluate the effects of maternal fish oil on growth performance, immunity and diarrhea of piglets. DHA and EPA in the colostrum as well as serum of suckling and 1-week post-wean piglets were significantly and linearly increased by maternal supplementation of fish oil (P < 0.05). IGF1 and T3 in nursing and weaned piglets were significantly elevated by maternal fish oil (P < 0.05), and the increase of IGF1 was concerning the dosage of fish oil. Colostrum IgG, plasma IgG, IgM in suckling piglets, IgG, IgM and IgA in weaned piglets were significantly increase as maternal replenishment of fish oil increased (P < 0.05). Additionally, cortisol was significantly reduced in weaned pigs (P < 0.05), regardless of dosage. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed that α-diversity of fecal microbiota in nursery piglets, and fecal Lactobacillus genus, positively correlated with post-weaning IgA, was significantly increased by high dosage. Collectively, maternal fish oil during late pregnancy and lactation significantly promoted growth, enhanced immunity, and reduced post-weaning diarrhea in piglets, therefore facilitated suckling-to-weaning transition in piglets, which may be partially due to the altered gut microbial community.

A New Positioning Method for Climbing Robots Based on 3D Model of Transmission Tower and Visual Sensor.

With the development of robot technology and the extensive application of robots, the research on special robots for some complex working environments has gradually become a hot topic. As a special robot applied to transmission towers, the climbing robot can replace humans to work at high altitudes to complete bolt tightening, detection, and other tasks, which improves the efficiency of transmission tower maintenance and ensures personal safety. However, it is mostly the ability to autonomously locate in the complex environment of the transmission tower that limits the industrial applications of the transmission tower climbing robot. This paper proposes an intelligent positioning method that integrates the three-dimensional information model of transmission tower and visual sensor data, which can assist the robot in climbing and adjusting to the designated working area to guarantee the working accuracy of the climbing robots. The experimental results show that the positioning accuracy of the method is within 1 cm.

NF-E2-related factor 2 activation in PC12 cells: its protective role in manganese-induced damage.

Manganese neurotoxicity presents with Parkinson-like symptoms that are associated with the generation of reactive oxygen species. Thus, its occurrence and severity can be reduced by cellular antioxidants. The components of the transcription factor NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2)/antioxidant response element (ARE) pathway are the central regulators of cellular antioxidant responses. In this study, we investigated the role of activation of Nrf2 in response to oxidative damage induced by manganese chloride (MnCl(2)) in rat adrenal pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells. Exposure of PC12 cells to MnCl(2) for 24 h promoted an increased cytosolic and nuclear accumulation of Nrf2 and enhanced the binding of Nrf2 to the HO-1 gene ARE, thereby inducing the expression of an Nrf2-regulated gene, HO-1. Pre-treatment with tert-butylhydroquinone (tBHQ), a known agent that activates the Nrf2/ARE-HO-1 pathway, for 16 h prior to the 24 h MnCl(2) exposure attenuated both the cytotoxicity and the apoptosis induced by MnCl(2). These protective effects of tBHQ indicated a protective role for Nrf2 against MnCl(2)-induced cell damage. Taken together, these findings suggest that Nrf2 may play an important role in the protection of PC12 cells against MnCl(2) neurotoxicity.