ABSTRACT
This study investigated the impact of different ratios of soluble to insoluble dietary fiber (SDF:IDF) formulations by sugar beet pulp (SBP) supplementation on piglet growth performance, nutrient digestibility, immune function, intestinal morphology, intestinal microbiota and intestinal health. A total of 60 crossbred piglets (Duroc × [Landrace × Yorkshire]) at 40 d old with body weight of 10.0 ± 0.3 kg were randomly assigned to 5 treatments with 6 replicates per treatment and 2 piglets per replicate in a 21-d trial. The dietary treatments included a corn-soybean meal diet (0% SBP supplementation; CON), and diets supplemented with 2%, 4%, 6%, and 8% SBP, representing different SDF:IDF ratios at 10.16%, 13.53%, 16.79%, 19.86%, and 24.81%, respectively. The results indicated that the 8% SBP treatment had a negative effect on feed-to-gain ratio (linear, P = 0.009) compared with the CON treatment (P = 0.021). The apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of crude protein was lower in treatments supplemented with SBP (P = 0.002) and showed a linear decrease (P = 0.001), while the ATTD of IDF showed a linear increase (P = 0.037) in four SBP treatments compared to the CON treatment. The 4% SBP treatment increased serum concentrations of triglyceride (quadratic, P = 0.019) and K (linear, P < 0.0037), and decreased alanine transaminase concentration (quadratic, P = 0.015) compared with the CON treatment. The concentrations of Cit, Cys, Ile, Leu, Orn, Arg, taurine, urea, 1-methylhistidine, α-aminoadipic acid, α-aminobutyric acid and cystathionine in the 4% SBP treatment were highest among all treatments (P < 0.05). The serum concentrations of interleukin-6, interleukin-8, interleukin-10, transforming growth factor-ß, and tumor necrosis factor-α in the 6% SBP treatment were higher than those in the CON treatment (P < 0.05), which also increased mucin-2 and G protein-coupled receptor 41 mRNA expression (P < 0.05) in colonic mucosa compared with the CON treatment and improved the intestinal barrier function. Diets containing more than 19.86% SDF:IDF could impair the intestinal health in piglets when SBP was used as the SDF source. Supplementing nursery piglet diets with 16.79% to 19.86% SDF:IDF is recommended for improving intestinal barrier function, increasing short-chain fatty acids concentrations, and improving intestinal microbiota composition.
ABSTRACT
To scientifically and reasonably evaluate air quality with a large amount of monitored data, this paper proposes a new evaluation method called ideal grey close function cluster correlation analysis (IGCFCCA). Taking the air quality in Ningxia Province, China, as an example, according to China's air quality standard, SO2, NO2, PM10, PM2.5 and O3 are selected as evaluation indexes to perform the evaluation. The results show that the air quality in this region in 2018 can be divided into three classifications, among which the relatively poor air quality in March, April and May is the first classification, the better air quality in August and September is the third classification, and the air quality in other months falls under the second classification. Correlation analysis is used to qualitatively determine that these three classifications correspond to first-level air quality in China's air quality standard, and the correlation degree, which is the distance between the three classifications and the first-level air quality, is quantitatively determined. Specifically, the correlation degrees of the first-classification, second-classification and third-classification of air quality are 0.674, 0.697 and 0.71, respectively. The research results indicate potential directions and objectives for air quality management to achieve scientific management.
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the effect of fermented Radix puerariae residue (FRPR) on reproductive performance, apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) of nutrients, and fecal short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) contents of sows. A total of 36 landrace × large white multiparous sows were randomly arranged into three treatments, representing supplementation with 0, 2, and 4% FRPR to a corn-soybean meal and wheat bran-based diet during the whole gestation period. The results showed that dietary FRPR had no effects on litter size and the number of total alive piglets (P > 0.05), and that the number of weaned piglets and weaning weight of litter were increased in sows with 4% FRPR treatment compared with control treatment (P < 0.05). Dietary 4% FRPR significantly decreased constipation rate, improved the ATTD of dry matter and organics, and fecal contents of acetate, propionate, and total SCFAs (P < 0.05). In the offspring piglets, serum concentrations of total protein, alkaline phosphatase, IgG, IL-10, and TGF-ß were increased, but blood urea nitrogen content was decreased with 4% FRPR treatment (P < 0.05). There were no significant differences in all determined indexes except for fecal acetic acid and total SCFAs between control and 2% FRPR treatment (P > 0.05). These findings indicated that FRPR used in the diets of sows showed positive effects on fecal characteristics, utilization of nutrients, and reproductive performance. Maternal supplementation with 4% FRPR is recommended for improving immune responses, weaning litter size, and litter weight of offspring piglets, which provide useful information for the application of residues of R. puerariae.
ABSTRACT
In the present paper, Chongqing Wansheng mining area was selected as the study area, and the ASD FieldSpec Pro III portable spectroradiometer (350 to 2,500 nm) was used as the spectral measurement instrument to collect the reflectance spectra of 171 soil samples and 123 soil samples in March and in August 2012 respectively. In order to create the retrieval model to retrieve soil heavy metal concentration, 40 among the 123 soil samples in August 2012 were collected to do chemical analysis. Then, the heavy metals' concentration and the reflectance of the 40 soil samples were analyzed together. The results show that the ratio of the reflectance at 2,320 and 1,755 nm in the nearinfrared range, the ratio of the reflectance on 2,260 and 2,210 nm in the nearinfrared range, and the ratio of the reflectance at 480 and 1,920 nm in the visible and near infrared range has a significant correlation with heavy metal concentration of As, Cd and Zn respectively, so the spectral absorption feature parameters (SAFP) for retrieving soil heavy metal concentration of As, Cd and Zn from soil reflectance was created. Thus, the soil heavy metal concentration of As, Cd and Zn of the soil samples can be retrieved with the reflectance spectra. Then the distributions of the soil heavy metal concentration of As, Cd and Zn were obtained with the interpolation method in study area in March and in August 2012 respectively.