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The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary L-theanine supplementation on apparent nutrient digestibility, milk yield, milk composition, and blood biochemical indices of dairy cows under heat stress. Thirty Chinese Holstein cows (19.84 ± 2.42 kg milk/d, 192.36 ± 40.77 d in milk and 2 ± 0.93 parities) were divided into 3 groups of 10 animals each. The control group was fed a basal total mixed ration (TMR) diet, while treatment 1 (LTA16) and treatment 2 (LTA32) groups were fed a basal TMR diet supplemented with L-theanine at 16 and 32 g/cow per day, respectively. The results showed that feeding the dairy cows with LTA16 treatment decreased (

CD36, located on the cell membrane, transports fatty acids in response to dietary fat. It is a critical fatty acid sensor and regulator of lipid metabolism. The interaction between CD36 and lipid dysmetabolism and obesity has been identified in various models and human studies. Nevertheless, the mechanisms by which CD36 regulates lipid metabolism and the role of CD36 in metabolic diseases remain obscure. Here, we summarize the latest research on the role of membrane CD36 in fat metabolism, with emphasis on CD36-mediated fat sensing and transport. This review also critically discusses the factors affecting the regulation of CD36-mediated fat dysfunction. Finally, we review previous clinical evidence of CD36 in metabolic diseases and consider the path forward.

This study investigated the effects of ramie (0, 3, 6, 9, or 12%) included in finishing diets on carcass traits and meat quality of Xiangcun black pigs. Results showed that ramie decreased (linear, P .05) backfat depth while it increased (linear, P .05) loin-eye area. A quadratic effect of shear force in longissimus thoracis (LT) was observed, and the lowest value was noted in the 6% ramie group. Protein content in LT was linearly increased by ramie (linear, P .01). Meanwhile, dietary ramie linearly decreased lipogenic genes mRNA levels and fiber cross-sectional area, but it linearly increased total fiber number of LT. These results suggest that ramie included in the diet9% is an effective feed crop to partly improve carcass trait and muscle chemical composition without negatively affecting growth performance, and the underlying mechanism may be due to the changed lipogenic potential and myofiber characteristics induced by ramie.

Protein restriction without malnutrition is currently an effective nutritional intervention known to prevent diseases and promote health span from yeast to human. Recently, low protein diets are reported to be associated with lowered cancer incidence and mortality risk of cancers in human. In murine models, protein restriction inhibits tumor growth via mTOR signaling pathway. IGF-1, amino acid metabolic programing, FGF21, and autophagy may also serve as potential mechanisms of protein restriction mediated cancer prevention. Together, dietary intervention aimed at reducing protein intake can be beneficial and has the potential to be widely adopted and effective in preventing and treating cancers.

Full waveform inversion (FWI) has high accuracy in predicting reservoir elastic parameters. Prediction of changes in reservoir elastic parameters is an effective method for CO2 storage monitoring. Therefore, FWI is of great significance in CO2 storage monitoring, however, it relies on low-frequency information and data quality and its use incurs substantial computational costs. To alleviate this problem, a multi-scale time-lapse inversion method based on the curvelet transform was proposed. Using the high sparsity of the curvelet transform, the original shot gather data can be separated into multiple scales. A multi-scale inversion process based on the curvelet transform was introduced, and a coarse to fine scale inversion was conducted. According to the multi-scale inversion strategy, the P- and S-wave velocities and densities of the reservoirs in multiple periods were obtained. The test results of Marmousi II and the manual model show that the inversion method based on the curvelet transform exhibits high accuracy in predicting reservoir elastic parameters and can clearly determine the local changes in the reservoir. The calculation time shows that the multi-scale inversion based on the curvelet transform does not reduce the calculation efficiency. In summary, the time-lapse full waveform inversion method based on the curvelet transform is highly accurate, and is therefore promisingly effective for CO2 storage monitoring.

The present study investigated the dosage and replication effects of lipopolysaccharide challenges on the serum oxidative and immune status, and the intestinal morphology and permeability of Linwu ducks at the growing stage. A total of 500 54-day-old Linwu ducks were randomly assigned into 10 treatments, which included a factorial arrangement of 2 levels of LPS challenge replications (1 and 2 times) × 5 levels of lipopolysaccharide challenging dosages (0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 mg/kg). Each treatment consisted of 5 cages and 10 ducks per cage. The results showed significant replication effects of LPS on the body weight gain of ducks, that 2 replicates of LPS challenges significantly decreased the body weight gain than one challenge (P = 0.036). Regarding to the serum oxidative and immune status, dosage effects of lipopolysaccharide were found on the serum levels of superoxide dismutase (P = 0.034) and immunoglobulin A (P = 0.007), that 0.4 mg/kg lipopolysaccharides significantly increased the levels of these 2 parameters. Additionally, replication effects were found in the serum levels of interlukin 1β, that 2 replicates of LPS challenges significantly increased the interlukin 1β levels comparing to one challenge (P = 0.010). Regarding to the intestinal conditions, dosage effects of lipopolysaccharides were found on the ratio of villus height and crypt depth (P = 0.005) in duodenum, and the wall thickness of duodenum (P = 0.010) and jejunum (P = 0.001), that lipopolysaccharides at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.8 mg/kg significantly deteriorated the intestinal morphologies, especially in the duodenum and jejunum. Moreover, the dosage effects of lipopolysaccharides and the interactions of dosages and replications significantly influenced the permeabilities of the intestinal segments (P < 0.05). It appeared that 2 replicates of lipopolysaccharides at the dosage at 0.4 mg/kg could trigger oxidative and immunological stress, and damage the intestinal morphology and permeability of Linwu ducks at the growing stage.

Born approximation is a commonly used approximation in the simulation of seismic wave propagation. Calculation of the Green's function in Born approximation integral is essential for Born modeling. We derive a new Born formula based on the Gaussian beam representations of Green's functions. This procedure can be used to mitigate the problems like the caustic, shadow region, and multivalued traveltime caused by multipathing that traditional geometric ray theory cannot deal with. However, due to the characteristic of complex traveltime in the Gaussian beam, we present a new isochronous stack method for Gaussian beam based Born modeling. Additionally, two basic issues, background velocity and integral region selection, are discussed. Numerical results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the Gaussian beam based Born theory and implementation.

The objective of this study was to prepare, optimize and evaluate a novel cationic nanostructured lipid carrier (CNLC) system, which can enhance the ophthalmic bioavailability of curcumin (CUR). CUR-loaded CNLC (CUR-CNLC) was prepared using a film-ultrasonic technique. A three-level Box-Behnken design was applied for optimization. The physicochemical properties, in vitro release and corneal permeation of the delivery method were evaluated. Preocular retention capacity study was conducted using a non-invasive fluorescence imaging system. Finally, a pharmacokinetic study in the aqueous humor was performed using a microdialysis technique. The optimal formulation had a mean particle size of 158.1 nm with a homogeneous distribution, a positive surface charge of 36.5 mV, a high entrapment efficiency of 99.12% and drug loading of 1.677%. Transmission electron microscope (TEM) morphology depicted a spherical morphology, and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated an imperfect crystalline lattice for the formulation. The CUR-CNLC formulation exhibited a sustained drug release and a 1.25-fold increase in in vitro corneal permeation (P < 0.05). The results from in vivo studies indicated the formulation had a high tolerance and a prolonged drug retention capacity in ocular tissues. A pharmacokinetic study of rabbit aqueous humors demonstrated a 2.36-fold increase in ocular bioavailability compared to a CUR solution (CUR-SOL, P < 0.01). The amphipathic octadecyl-quaternized carboxymethyl chitosan (QACMC) was used as a novel cationic material to prolong the residence time and improve the ocular bioavailability. Therefore, CNLC system is a promising approach for ocular delivery of CUR.

The inhomogeneous Helmholtz equation can be represented by an equivalent integral equation of the Lippmann-Schwinger type. Since it is very costly to solve the Lippmann-Schwinger equation exactly via matrix inversion, researchers often try to use the popular Born series, which represents a physics based iterative solution. However, the popular Born series is only guaranteed to converge if the contrast volume is sufficiently small. We here use renormalization group (RG) and homotopy continuation (HC) approaches to derive novel scattering series solutions of the Lippmann-Schwinger equation which are guaranteed to converge for arbitrary large contrast volumes (perturbations). Our RG approach is based on the use of an auxillary set of scale-dependent scattering potentials and Green's operators which gradually evolve toward the real physical scattering potential and the physical Green's operator, respectively. We show that the auxillary Green's operators satisfies the renormalization group law and we derive the corresponding renormalization group flow equation by using familiar “scaling” arguments. The HC approach comes from pure mathematics and is based on the deformation of a relatively simple reference equation (initial condition) into a more complicated target equation (the Lippmann-Schwinger equation for the physical scattering potential), via a parameter that varies continuously between 0 and 1. Our HC approach is more general than the RG approach since it involves a convergence control operator, but the two approaches are nevertheless closely connected. We show that the RG flow and HC equations can be implemented very efficiently using the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) algorithm. Also, we present a very efficient iterative scheme based on a combination of the zeroth-order deformation equation with a floating initial. We illustrate our results with a numerical example related with seismic wavefield modeling in strongly scattering media.

This study was conducted to explore the effect of administrated Lactobacillus delbrueckii (LAB) during the suckling period on future intestinal integrity of the host, using a piglet model. Probiotic LAB increased final body weight, concentrations of immunoglobulin G and anti-inflammatory cytokines, but reduced diarrhea incidence by over 50% during any phase of experimental period. The intestinal villus height of the LAB-treated piglets were greater than that in the control piglets. Along with lower activity of serum diamine oxidase in the LAB piglets, there was a concurrent increase in mRNA expression of intestinal tight junctions proteins. We conclude that LAB, given to suckling piglets, stimulates immune response and improves intestinal morphology and barrier function, thereby mitigating diarrhea and promoting growth, importantly, these beneficial effects could be maintained up to 4 weeks after weaning. A proper utilization of LAB to neonates would be beneficial to future intestinal health.