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HighlightsIntelligent carbon fiber heaters (ICFH) increased the tendency of sows to expose their udders toward the heating area.During the first week after birth, piglets with ICFH used the heating area more frequently and spent less time in the areas close to sows than piglets with incandescent heat lamps (IHL).ICFH helped to reduce the piglet crushing rate.Farrowing houses with ICFH can save 40.6% of the electricity usage compared to IHL.Abstract. Current Chinese heating systems (primarily incandescent heat lamps, IHL) for piglets are energy-consuming, fragile, and short-lived. To overcome these disadvantages, the objectives of this study were to (1) develop an intelligent carbon fiber heater (ICFH) and (2) conduct field experiments to evaluate the performance of the developed heater. The ICFH mainly consisted of an intelligent control unit, a carbon fiber tube, and a heater cover. Three treatments, i.e., ICFH, ICFH with light (ICFHL), and IHL, were respectively assigned to three farrowing pig houses. Pig behaviors, production performance, and electricity usage were recorded in two complete farrowing batches. The results showed that the sows in the ICFH and ICFHL treatments exposed their udders toward the heating area more often than their backs (p < 0.01). Piglets at 1 to 3 days of age in the ICFH and ICFHL treatments increased their time in the heating area by >4.3% (p < 0.01). The proportion of piglets within 0.08 m of the sows was highest for the IHL treatment during 1 to 3 days of age (p < 0.01) but similar among the treatments after day 3 (p = 0.45). The piglet crushing rate in the ICFH and ICFHL treatments was reduced by >2.2% (p < 0.01), while daily weight gain was not significantly different among the treatments (p = 0.16). Using ICFH and ICFHL can reduce electricity usage by 40.6%. It is concluded that the newly developed heater is beneficial for pig thermal comfort, production, and energy savings. Keywords: Automatic sensor technology, Carbon fiber heater, Piglet crushing, PLF.

Pituitary adenomas are among the most common primary intracranial tumours. They are predominantly benign and account for 10–15 % of all intracranial neoplasms. These tumours are divided into two subgroups: macroadenomas (> 1 cm) and microadenomas (

Extensive study of extracellular vesicles began about ten years ago. Exosomes are extracellular membrane vesicles 30–100 nm in diameter secreted by various types of cells and present in most biological fluids. For a long time they were considered non-functional cellular components. However, it has been proven that they serve as a means of intercellular exchange of information. They can move bioactive molecules such as proteins, lipids, RNA, and DNA. Several studies have shown that their contents, including proteins and non-coding nucleic acids, may be of particular interest as biomarkers of diseases. The most promising of all these molecules are non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including microRNAs and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). LncRNAs are a large group of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) longer than 200 nucleotides. As regulatory factors lncRNAs play an important role in complex cellular processes, such as apoptosis, growth, differentiation, proliferation, etc. Despite many advances in diagnosis and treatment (surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy), cancer remains one of the most important public healthcare problems worldwide. Every day brings a better understanding of the role of exosomes in the development of cancer and metastases. Liquid biopsy has been developed as a method for the detection of cancer at an early stage. This is a series of minimally invasive tests of bodily fluids offering the advantage of real-time tracking of the tumour development. In fact, circulating exosomal lncRNAs have been found to be closely linked to processes of oncogenesis, metastasis and treatment. In this paper we review current studies into the functional role of exosomal lncRNAs in cancer and discuss their potential clinical use as diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets for cancer.

Additional file 4 : Supplementary Table S4. The Egger’s test of different subgroup.

Additional file 6 : Supplementary Figure 1. Sensitivity analysis of the effect of the individual subgroup on the pooled ORs.

Additional file 5 : Supplementary Table S5. The Egger’s test of different subgroup.

Menaquinone (MK) has important applications in the pharmaceutical and food industries. To increase the production rate (QP) of MK-4, we developed a straightforward biotransformation method for MK-4 synthesis directly from its precursors 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoate (DHNA) and farnesol using whole cells of genetically engineered Elizabethkingia meningoseptica. Results showed that MK-4 can be produced directly from farnesol and DHNA using both free and immobilized FM-D198 cells. MK-4 yield peaked at 29.85 ± 0.36 mg/L in the organic phase and 24.08 ± 0.33 mg/g DCW after 12 h of bioconversion using free cells in a two-phase conversion system. MK-4 yield reached 26.34 ± 1.35 mg/L and 17.44 ± 1.05 mg/g DCW after 8 h using immobilized cells. Although this yield was lower than that using free cells, immobilized cells can be re-used for MK-4 production via repeated-batch culture. After ten batch cultures, efficient MK-4 production was maintained at a yield of more than 20 mg/L. After optimizing the catalysis system, the MK-4 yield reached 26.91 ± 1.27 mg/L using the immobilized cells and had molar conversion rates of 58.56 and 76.90% for DHNA and farnesol, respectively.

Mutant strains of GO112 and BM302 with a high 2-keto-L-gulonic acid (2KLG) transformation rate induced by ion beam implantation were separately and combinatorially compared with the original strains GO29 and BM80 to study the mutagenic effects of ion beam implantation. Both the sole GO112 and mixed BM302:GO112 demonstrated improved SNDH activity and 2KLG yield compared to the original strains. The mutant combinations of BM302:GO112 showed a longer stationary phase and higher biomass than BM80:GO29. The mutant BM302 exhibited a stronger capacity to maintain a stable pH environment at mixed fermentation with Gluconobacter oxydans (G. oxydans) for 2KLG transformation and facilitated the growth of G. oxydans compared with the original strain BM80. The promotive capacity to L-sorbosone dehydrogenase (L-SNDH) from the supernate of BM302 was 1.6-fold higher than that of BM80. Genes encoded SNDH in GO29 and GO112 were amplified and sequenced, and mutations including three transitions (CG → TA, CG → TA, GC → AT) and one transversion (AT → TA) were confirmed from GO29 to GO112. The corresponding amino acid was changed as Leu → Phe, Arg → Gln and Asn → Lys.

Mahonia aquifolium (Tall Oregon Grape) is a plant native to British Columbia and the coastal Pacific Northwest of the USA. The first discovery of powdery mildew of Mahonia aquifolium in the USA was reported in Washington State in 2003. In Canada, powdery mildew of Oregon grape was discovered in the early summer of 2004 in Victoria, BC. To our knowledge, this is the first record of powdery mildew caused by E. berberidis on Oregon grape in Canada. Accepted for publication 15 May 2005. Published 21 June 2005.