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Ruminants are important for global food security but emit the greenhouse gas methane. Rumen microorganisms break down complex carbohydrates to produce volatile fatty acids and molecular hydrogen. This hydrogen is mainly converted into methane by archaea, but can also be used by hydrogenotrophic acetogenic and respiratory bacteria to produce useful metabolites. A better mechanistic understanding is needed on how dietary carbohydrates influence hydrogen metabolism and methanogenesis. We profiled the composition, metabolic pathways, and activities of rumen microbiota in 24 beef cattle adapted to either fiber-rich or starch-rich diets. The fiber-rich diet selected for fibrolytic bacteria and methanogens resulting in increased fiber utilization, while the starch-rich diet selected for amylolytic bacteria and lactate utilizers, allowing the maintenance of a healthy rumen and decreasing methane production (p p p

The physiological function of the reticulorumen plays an essential role in ruminant nutrition, and detailed knowledge of rumen motility can further advance understanding of ruminant nutrition and physiology. Rumen motility was simulated by setting different stirrer rotation speeds in a rumen simulation technique (RUSITEC) system. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of rotation speeds on rumen fermentation, saturation factor of dissolved gases, hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) emissions, microbial protein synthesis, and selected microbial population using RUSITEC. The experiment was performed according to a balanced 3 × 3 Latin square design, and each period included 7 d for adaptation and 3 d for sampling. Three motility treatments included 5, 15, and 25 rpm rotation speeds. Daily total gas and H2 and CH4 emissions had quadratic responses to the increasing rotation speed and were highest at 15 rpm. Quadratic and linear responses (highest at 5 rpm) to increasing rotation speed were observed for saturation factors of H2 and CH4, liquid-dissolved H2 and CH4 concentrations, and headspace concentration of H2 in the gas phase, whereas increasing rotation speed linearly decreased saturation factors of CO2 and liquid-dissolved CO2 concentration. Quadratic and linear responses to increasing rotation speed were observed for molar percentages of acetate, ammonia, and microbial protein concentration, whereas increasing rotation speed quadratically increased pH and decreased total volatile fatty acid concentration and acetate-to-propionate ratio. The 15-rpm rotation speed had the highest values of total volatile fatty acids, acetate molar percentage, and microbial protein concentration. Quadratic and linear responses to increasing rotation speed were observed for copy numbers of solid-associated fungi and fluid-associated bacteria, fungi, and protozoa, while increasing rotation speed linearly increased copy numbers of solid-associated protozoa. Rotation at 15 rpm increased populations of fungi and protozoa in the solid rumen contents and the population of bacteria and fungi in the liquid rumen contents. In summary, this study provides insights on the biofunction of proper rumen motility (i.e., at a rotation speed of 15 rpm), such as improving feed fermentation, increasing gas emissions with decreased dissolved gas concentrations and saturation factors, and promoting microbial colonization and microbial protein synthesis, although further increase in rotation speed (i.e., to 25 rpm) decreases feed fermentation and microbial protein synthesis.

Iron-based electrodes have attracted great attention for sodium storage because of the distinct cost effectiveness. However, exploring suitable iron-based electrodes with high power density and long duration remains a big challenge. Herein, a spray-drying strategy is adopted to construct graphene-coated Na2.4Fe1.8(SO4)3 nanograins in a 3D graphene microsphere network. The unique structural and compositional advantages endow these electrodes to exhibit outstanding electrochemical properties with remarkable rate performance and long cycle life. Mechanism analyses further explain the outstanding electrochemical properties from the structural aspect.

The aminophenoxazinone core is widely prevalent in natural products, dyes and pharmaceutical molecules. We report here a TEMPO-catalyzed electrosynthetic method allowing the dehydrogenative cyclocondensation of o-aminophenols. This mild and sustainable method proceeds in the absence of stoichiometric oxidants and uses an easily available organo-electrocatalyst to access pharmaceutically valuable 2-aminophenoxazinones. Mechanistic studies indicate that the electrochemically generated TEMPO+ enables the oxidative radical homo-dimerization of o-aminophenols. The application of electrosynthesis provides an approach for the synthesis of pseudo-aminophenoxazinone alkaloids with improved structural diversification and bioactivities.

The present study investigated the association between fibre degradation and the concentration of dissolved molecular hydrogen (H2) in the rumen. Napier grass (NG) silage and corn stover (CS) silage were compared as forages with contrasting structures and degradation patterns. In the first experiment, CS silage had greater 48-h DM, neutral-detergent fibre (NDF) and acid-detergent fibre degradation, and total gas and methane (CH4) volumes, and lower 48-h H2 volume than NG silage in 48-h in vitro incubations. In the second experiment, twenty-four growing beef bulls were fed diets including 55 % (DM basis) NG or CS silages. Bulls fed the CS diet had greater DM intake (DMI), average daily gain, total-tract digestibility of OM and NDF, ruminal dissolved methane (dCH4) concentration and gene copies of protozoa, methanogens, Ruminococcus albus and R. flavefaciens, and had lower ruminal dH2 concentration, and molar proportions of valerate and isovalerate, in comparison with those fed the NG diet. There was a negative correlation between dH2 concentration and NDF digestibility in bulls fed the CS diet, and a lack of relationship between dH2 concentration and NDF digestibility with the NG diet. In summary, the fibre of CS silage was more easily degraded by rumen microorganisms than that of NG silage. Increased dCH4 concentration with the CS diet presumably led to the decreased ruminal dH2 concentration, which may be helpful for fibre degradation and growth of fibrolytic micro-organisms in the rumen.

Summary Batch hydrothermal reactor is known as a closed system, and what happens in this “black box” is mysterious. Now, by using the tendency of graphene oxide (GO) to align along the flow and the fixation effect of thermoset resin, the hydrothermal annular convection can be inferred from the axisymmetric poloidal structure and GO-assembled annular distribution. Temperature difference and geometric symmetricity of the reactor account for the annular convection, which is also found to be affected by solution viscosity and reactor parameters. Numerical simulations reproduce the annular convection and are used to investigate the parameter space beyond experiments. Plume flows occur at the bottom of the reactor due to flow instability. Irregular and intensive flow is against the synthesis of high-aspect-ratio nanomaterials and monolithic gels. It is noteworthy that large-scale batch hydrothermal synthesis may not be feasible for some nanowires, nanosheets, and particularly gels due to the non-negligible flow influence.

Liquid hot water (LHW) treatment can be used to disrupt the fiber structure of rice straw. This in vitro ruminal batch culture study investigated the effect of LHW treatment on feed degradation, methane (CH4) production, and microbial populations. Rice straw was treated by LHW, and in vitro ruminal fermentation was performed using an automatic system with 72 h of incubation. Scanning electron microscopy showed that LHW treatment disrupted the physical structure of rice straw. Liquid hot water treatment decreased neutral detergent fiber and hemicellulose contents of the rice straw and increased neutral detergent solubles, water-soluble carbohydrates, and arabinose contents. Liquid hot water treatment increased dry matter degradation and volatile fatty acid concentration and decreased the acetate:propionate ratio, CH4 production, hydrogen accumulation, neutral detergent fiber degradation, and populations of protozoa, fungi, and cellulolytic bacteria. In summary, LHW treatment disrupted the cellulose-hemicellulose-lignin structure matrix of rice straw, leading to increased substrate degradability and decreased CH4 production. Therefore, the LHW treatment is a potential strategy to improve the nutritive value of forage such as rice straw and decrease the CH4 emissions in ruminants.

LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM811) has attracted increasing attention owing to its extremely high discharge capacity (>200 mA h g−1). However, poor mechanical strength, cycling stability, and rate capability impose limitations on its large-scale practical applications. Here, we report that few-layer and rod-like MXene (Ti2C3Tx) as a multifunctional additive significantly enhances the mechanical property, cycling performance, and rate capability of the Li/NCM811 cells. Thus, NCM811 added with 2.5 wt% MXene (2.5-MXene) delivers the highest discharge capacity of 209 mA h g−1 at 0.2C as well as the best rate performance with a high reversible capacity of 95 mA h g−1 at 8C. Moreover, the capacity retention of 2.5-MXene can reach 77.0% after 100 cycles at a 0.5C rate, while it is only 53.6% for pristine NCM811 without MXene (0-MXene). Such superior performances result from the effective and multifunctional MXene additive, which is helpful to establish a better conductive network, store/release Li+via cation intercalation, offer more deformation space, form a physical protection CEI layer, and suppress the M ↔ H2 phase transformation for the NCM811 electrodes. In addition, the DFT calculation indicates that the MXene additive can prohibit the irreversible Ni/Co/Mn elements' migration via the absorption process. Therefore, the few-layer/rod-like MXene can be a facile and efficient approach to enhance the mechanical and electrochemical performance of the NCM811 materials for large-scale applications in the next-generation energy density lithium-ion batteries by considering its multifunctional properties, low cost, and convenient accessibility.

A partially coherent beam called a radially polarized multi-Gaussian Schell-model power-exponent-phase vortex beam is introduced. Both the analytical formula of the beam propagating through the high-numerical-aperture objective lens based on the vectorial diffraction theory, and the cross-spectral density matrix of the beam in the focal region are derived. Then, the tight focusing characteristics of the partially coherent radially polarized power-exponent-phase vortex beam are studied numerically, and the intensity distribution, degree of polarization and coherence of the beams in the focusing region with different topological charge, power order, beam index and coherence width are analyzed in detail. The results show that the contour of the spot becomes clearer and smoother with the increase in the beam index, and the focal fields of different structures that include the flattened beam can be obtained by changing the coherence width. In addition, by changing the topological charge and power order, the intensity can gather to a point along the ring. These unique properties will have potential applications in particle capture and manipulation, especially in the manipulation of irregular particles.

Summary Biomimetic bulk structural materials have been paid increasing attention for their huge application prospects. Integrating close-to-ideal, ultrathin, and flexible nanostructured units into high-performance nacreous bulk nanocomposites is worth considering yet remains challenging due to the elusive micro- and nano-interface connections. Here, by introducing a multiscale soft-rigid polymer dual-network interfacial design strategy that enables us to appropriately reinforce the nanoscale building blocks or their bridging, we can construct a type of nacreous bulk nanocomposites with tunable mechanical properties in the mild, eco-friendly, and highly efficient bottom-up assembly process. The resultant nanocomposites can achieve continuously reinforced mechanical transformation without experiencing environmentally threatening interfacial manipulation processes. This interfacial design strategy, supported by sufficient experiments and simulations, endows the assembled nacreous nanocomposite with superior mechanical enhancement and improved stability under high humidity and temperature conditions. Combined with the scalable assembly technique, it will pave the way for the design of high-performance biomimetic bulk nanocomposites for structural applications.

Rumen cannulation is a widely employed technique in ruminant nutrition research. However, the gap between skin and rumen cannula can cause leakage of fermentation gases and influx of atmospheric air, which may adversely affect the anaerobic environment in the rumen. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of rumen cannulation on headspace gases, dissolved gases, fermentation end products, and methanogen community in the rumen of dairy cows. Eight Holstein cows were used in the experiment. Four cows were surgically fitted with rumen cannulas, whereas the other 4 intact cows were used as control. Rumen cannulation decreased gaseous hydrogen and methane concentrations, dissolved carbon dioxide concentration, and relative abundances of Methanosphaera, and increased the saturation factor of dissolved hydrogen and dissolved methane, dissolved methane concentration, volatile fatty acid concentration, 16S ribosomal RNA gene copies of methanogens, and Simpson index of methanogen community. In summary, rumen cannulation causes a reduction in headspace gaseous hydrogen and gaseous methane, which may not decrease dissolved gas concentrations due to an increase in saturation factors. Furthermore, rumen cannulation alters methanogen community with increased methanogen population and decreased relative abundances of Methanosphaera.

Background Urea pretreatment is an efficient strategy to improve fiber digestibility of low quality roughages for ruminants. Nitrate and oil are usually used to inhibit enteric methane (CH4) emissions from ruminants. The objective of this study was to examine the combined effects of urea plus nitrate pretreated rice straw and corn oil supplementation to the diet on nutrient digestibility, nitrogen (N) balance, CH4 emissions, ruminal fermentation characteristics and microbiota in goats. Nine female goats were used in a triple 3 × 3 Latin Square design (27 d periods). The treatments were: control (untreated rice straw, no added corn oil), rice straw pretreated with urea and nitrate (34 and 4.7 g/kg of rice straw on a dry matter [DM] basis, respectively, UN), and UN diet supplemented with corn oil (15 g/kg soybean and 15 g/kg corn were replaced by 30 g/kg corn oil, DM basis, UNCO). Results Compared with control, UN increased neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (P

Background: The advent of monitoring system can automatically collect the quantitative data of the feeding behavior and feed intake of individual cattle, and the immediate response system always records many non-eating visits. Increasing response time of trigger helps to decrease recording non-eating visits, but may also miss some small periods of recording feed intake. This study was to evaluate the effect of response time in monitoring system on the accuracy of recording individual feeding behavior and feed intake in dairy cows. The first experiment was to investigate the distribution of 10-h feeding behaviors of 8 Holstein dairy cows after morning feeding by using infra-red camera. The second experiment was to investigate accuracy of feed intake recorded by the monitoring system with different response times (0.3, 3, 6, 12 and 24 s) in comparison with direct weighting. The third experiment was to investigate effect of excluding the data of time interval after response time on feed intake and visiting behaviors recorded by the monitoring system, when responding time was set as 0.3 s. Results: The results showed that the most of eating and non-eating visits had duration larger than 24 s (99.0%) and less than 24 s (65.3%), respectively. Comparing with actual feed intake obtained by direct weighting, increasing response time greatly increased the recorded feed intake, with the greatest difference occurring at 6 s of response time (P = 0.001). Although increasing time interval after response time linearly increased mean, median feed intake per visit and 10-h feed intake (P < 0.01), it had little influence on 10-h feed intake (< 0.1%) and eating visit (< 5%). Conclusions: Setting immediate response (0.3 s) in monitoring system helps to get actual feed intake, but can obtain a lot of non-eating visits. Increasing response time helps to decrease the recording of non-eating visits, but can overestimate feed intake.

Cadmium (Cd) is one of the commonly found heavy metal contaminants in soil and has a toxic effect on plants and humans. Understanding the Cd resistance of soil microorganisms under different fertilization regimes can provide a theoretical basis for controlling heavy metal pollution by organic fertilizers. In order to investigate the effects of inorganic and organic fertilizers on the Cd resistance level of soil microorganisms, paddy soil samples were taken in Changzhou, Shanggao, and Fuzhou. A functional gene array (GeoChip 5.0) was used to investigate the distribution of microbial Cd resistance genes. The results indicated that the content of available Cd in soil with organic fertilizer[(1.08±0.70) mg·kg

QIAamp Fast DNA Stool Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Valencia, CA, United States) and RBB + C (Yu and Morrison, 2004) methodologies are widely employed to extract microbial DNA from rumen samples and can exhibit different efficiencies of obtaining DNA yield, quality, and downstream amplicon sequence analysis. No study has conducted to investigate the contributions of chemical and mechanical lysis on DNA extraction, which included chemical lysis from QIAamp Fast DNA Stool Mini Kit (QIA) and RBB + C (YM), bead (BB), and sand beating (SB). Effects of chemical lysis and bead beating (BB) were investigated by conducting a 2 × 2 factorial-designed experiment with four methodologies, including QIA without (QIA-) and with BB (QIA + BB), and YM without (YM-) and with BB (YM + BB). Comparisons between bead and sand were conducted by comparing methodologies of YM + BB and YM + SB. Comparing with QIA, YM had lower (P ≤ 0.10) OD260 / 280 and diversity of ZOTUs and length polymorphism of protozoal amplicons but harvested greater (P ≤ 0.086) DNA from fibrolytic bacteria such as Ruminococcaceae lineages. Including BB increased (P = 0.001) total DNA yield without affecting (P ≥ 0.55) OD260 / 280 and richness of bacterial ZOTUs but decreased (P ≤ 0.08) richness of both ZOTUs and length polymorphism of protozoal amplicon. Bead beating and SB showed no difference (P ≥ 0.19) in DNA yield and quality and bacterial and protozoal community. In summary, chemical lysis provided by RBB + C and QIAamp Fast DNA Stool Mini Kit should be better to extract DNA for analyzing bacterial and protozoal community, respectively. Sand can be an alternative beater for DNA extraction, and mechanical lysis is not recommended for protozoal community analysis.

Summary Cyclin E is a key factor for S phase entry, and deregulation of Cyclin E results in developmental defects and tumors. Therefore, proper cycling of Cyclin E is crucial for normal growth. Here we found that transcription factors Apontic (Apt) and E2f1 cooperate to induce cyclin E in Drosophila. Functional binding motifs of Apt and E2f1 are clustered in the first intron of Drosophila cyclin E and directly contribute to the cyclin E transcription. Knockout of apt and e2f1 together abolished Cyclin E expression. Furthermore, Apt up-regulates Retinoblastoma family protein 1 (Rbf1) for proper chromatin compaction, which is known to repress cyclin E. Notably, Apt-dependent up-regulation of Cyclin E and Rbf1 is evolutionarily conserved in mammalian cells. Our findings reveal a unique mechanism underlying the induction and subsequent decline of Cyclin E expression., Graphical Abstract, Highlights • Mutual activation of apt and e2f1 promotes rapid induction of CycE at S phase entry • Apt also up-regulates Rbf1, but Rbf1 is inactivated through phosphorylation by Cdk2 • After initiation of S phase, Rbf1 becomes active and represses cycE • Apt governs both induction and subsequent repression of cycE, Biological Sciences; Molecular Biology; Cell Biology

Urea pretreatment of straw damages fiber structure, while nitrate supplementation of ruminal diets inhibits enteric methane production. The study examined the combined effects of these treatments on ruminal substrate biodegradation and methane production using an in vitro incubation system. Rice and wheat straws were pretreated with urea (40 g kg-1 straw dry matter, DM) and urea + ammonium nitrate (34 + 6 g kg-1 dry matter (DM), respectively), and each straw (control, urea, urea+nitrate) was used in batch culture incubations in three replications (runs).; Results: Urea pretreatment increased (P

Energy efficient buildings require materials with a low thermal conductivity and a high fire resistance. Traditional organic insulation materials are limited by their poor fire resistance and inorganic insulation materials are either brittle or display a high thermal conductivity. Herein we report a mechanically resilient organic/inorganic composite aerogel with a thermal conductivity significantly lower than expanded polystyrene and excellent fire resistance. Co-polymerization and nanoscale phase separation of the phenol-formaldehyde-resin (PFR) and silica generate a binary network with domain sizes below 20 nm. The PFR/SiO2 aerogel can resist a high-temperature flame without disintegration and prevents the temperature on the non-exposed side from increasing above the temperature critical for the collapse of reinforced concrete structures.

A novel two-stage leaching method for Br removal and metal recovery from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) smelting flue dust was developed. The effects of leaching conditions on Cu, Zn, Pb and Sn extraction behavior and Br removal were studied systematically. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used to analyze the phase composition and microstructure of the residues and products. Experimental results show that 63.55% Br and 96.34% Zn were extracted into the solution after water leaching, whereas most of Cu, Pb and Sn remained in the residue. The debromination can be enhanced by the introduction of alkaline agent. With Na2CO3 as leaching agent, a debromination rate of 88.65% was obtain by controlling leaching conditions at Na2CO3 addition of 53.23 wt%, liquid–solid ratio of 3:1, leaching temperature of 30 °C, and leaching time of 120 min. Remarkable debromination was achieved by a two-stage leaching process, namely, water leaching followed by Na2CO3 leaching. By subjecting the first-stage water leaching residue to Na2CO3 leaching, a favorable Br extraction yield of 96.65% was successfully obtained, where the total Na2CO3 consumption is only 47.13 wt% of the raw material. Na2Zn3(CO3)4(H2O)3 with Zn content of 35.12% was synthesized by Na2CO3 precipitation. After precipitation, NaBr salt with main phase of NaBr·2H2O and NaBr0.2019Cl0.7981 was prepared from the purified liquid. Overall results indicate that this process is an effective and promising approach for the reutilization of WPCBs smelting flue dust.

Single-component white phosphors stand a good chance to serve in the next-generation high-power white light-emitting diodes. Because of low thermal stability and containing lanthanide ions with reduced valence state, most of reported phosphors usually suffer unstable color of lighting for practical packaging and comparably complex synthetic processes. In this work, we present a type of novel color-tunable blue–white–yellow-emitting MgIn2P4O14:Tm3+/Dy3+ phosphor with high thermal stability, which can be easily fabricated in air. Under UV excitation, the MgIn2P4O14:Tm0.02Dy0.03 white phosphor exhibits negligible thermal-quenching behavior, with a 99.5% intensity retention at 150 °C, relative to its initial value at room temperature. The phosphor host MgIn2P4O14 was synthesized and reported for the first time. MgIn2P4O14 crystallizes in the space group of C2/c (No. 15) with a novel layered structure built of alternate anionic and cationic layers. Its disordering structure, with Mg and In atoms co-occupying t...

This study examined the effects of a high-dose Saccharomyces cerevisiae inoculant alone or jointly with Lactobacillus plantarum on nutrient preservation, fermentation quality, and aerobic stability of sweet corn stalk silage. Fresh stalks (231 g dry matter (DM)/kg) were chopped and subjected to the following treatments: (1) deionized water (Uninoculated, U), (2) S. cerevisiae at 1 &times, 108 cfu/g of fresh forage (S), and (3) S. cerevisiae at 1 &times, 108 cfu/g plus L. plantarum at 1 &times, 105 cfu/g (SL). Treated stalks were ensiled in 5-litre laboratory silos for 30, 60, and 90 d. The S and SL silages had a greater (p &lt, 0.001) pH and greater crude protein, ammonia nitrogen/total nitrogen, neutral detergent fibre, acid detergent fibre, and ethanol contents at all three ensiling periods than the U silage. Acetate, propionate and volatile fatty acids in the S and SL silages after 30 and 90 d of ensiling were greater (p &lt, 0.05) than those in the U silage, but they were lower (p &lt, 0.05) in the S and SL silages than in the U silage after 60 d. The lactate and V-score of the S and SL silages were lower (p &lt, 0.001) than those of the U silage at all three ensiling periods. Compared with the U group, the aerobic stability of the S silage after 90 d of ensiling decreased (p &lt, 0.05), and the aerobic stability of the SL silage was unaffected (p &gt, 0.05). Overall, the quality of sweet corn stalk silage was not improved by inoculation with 108 cfu/g of S. cerevisiae alone or in combination with 1 &times, 105 cfu/g of L. plantarum.

Enteric methane (CH4) emissions are not only an important source of greenhouse gases but also a loss of dietary energy in livestock. Corn oil (CO) is rich in unsaturated fatty acid with >50% PUFA, which may enhance ruminal biohydrogenation of unsaturated fatty acids, leading to changes in ruminal H2 metabolism and methanogenesis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of CO supplementation of a diet on CH4 emissions, nutrient digestibility, ruminal dissolved gases, fermentation, and microbiota in goats. Six female goats were used in a crossover design with two dietary treatments, which included control and CO supplementation (30 g/kg DM basis). CO supplementation did not alter total-tract organic matter digestibility or populations of predominant ruminal fibrolytic microorganisms (protozoa, fungi, Ruminococcus albus, Ruminococcus flavefaciens, and Fibrobacter succinogenes), but reduced enteric CH4 emissions (g/kg DMI, −15.1%, P = 0.003). CO supplementation decreased ruminal dissolved hydrogen (dH2, P < 0.001) and dissolved CH4 (P < 0.001) concentrations, proportions of total unsaturated fatty acids (P < 0.001) and propionate (P = 0.015), and increased proportions of total SFAs (P < 0.001) and acetate (P < 0.001), and acetate to propionate ratio (P = 0.038) in rumen fluid. CO supplementation decreased relative abundance of family Bacteroidales_BS11_gut_group (P = 0.032), increased relative abundance of family Rikenellaceae (P = 0.021) and Lachnospiraceae (P = 0.025), and tended to increase relative abundance of genus Butyrivibrio_2 (P = 0.06). Relative abundance (P = 0.09) and 16S rRNA gene copies (P = 0.043) of order Methanomicrobiales, and relative abundance of genus Methanomicrobium (P = 0.09) also decreased with CO supplementation, but relative abundance (P = 0.012) and 16S rRNA gene copies (P = 0.08) of genus Methanobrevibacter increased. In summary, CO supplementation increased rumen biohydrogenatation by facilitating growth of biohydrogenating bacteria of family Lachnospiraceae and genus Butyrivibrio_2 and may have enhanced reductive acetogenesis by facilitating growth of family Lachnospiraceae. In conclusion, dietary supplementation of CO led to a shift of fermentation pathways that enhanced acetate production and decreased rumen dH2 concentration and CH4 emissions.

Respiration chambers share one analyzer working in parallel, and methane (CH4) concentrations have to be measured at certain intervals. The maximum and minimum values in the kinetics of CH4 emissions can be missed during the interval between measurements, which may influence the quantification of CH4 emissions. Chambers must be opened for morning feeding and cleaning, which causes a loss of CH4 data. Calculation methods are needed to estimate the lost CH4 emission data, which may influence the estimated amount of daily CH4 emissions. In this study, we measured the CH4 emissions of 10 growing Chinese Holstein dairy heifers in respiration chambers. Methane concentrations were measured every 0.5 min to obtain the 23-h kinetics of CH4 emissions, which were further selected at different intervals between measurements (i.e., 5, 30, 60, 120, 180, and 240 min) to evaluate the effects of interval on quantification of CH4 emissions. The missing 1-h kinetics of CH4 emissions before feeding were not measured, and 2 calculation methods were used to estimate the missing 1-h kinetics of CH4 emissions: mean value of measuring period (the mean method) and the nearest value of measurement just before chamber opening (the nearest method). The results showed that the rates of CH4 emission from 10 heifers varied from 4.56 to 11.42 g/h. The increment of intervals decreased maximum rate of CH4 emission and increased minimum rate of CH4 emission. Interval caused less than 5% of the difference in measuring CH4 emissions. Although the mean method had greater estimated daily CH4 emission than the nearest method, the difference was within 3%. The interval between measurements (≤3 h) and calculation method had little influence on enteric CH4 emission measurements.

Photodegradation of perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) by UV irradiation could remove this environmentally persistent chemical from aqueous solution, but its efficiency needs to be further optimized. This study introduced foam fractionation technique, which utilizing the surface activity of PFOS, to promote the removal efficiency of PFOS during photodegradation. Under the favorable conditions of foam fractionation (pH = 11.0; the height to diameter ratio of the reaction solution = 3:1; gas flow rate = 1.0 L/min) in a cylindrical glass reactor, PFOS photodegradation rate (20 mg/L initial concentration) was 8.76 times higher than that without foam fractionation, over a 3-hour reaction. While under neutral condition, PFOS photodegradation rate also experienced an increase of 7.43, 6.20 and 2.66 times compared to that without foam fractionation for initial concentrations of 20 mg/L, 5 mg/L and 1 mg/L, respectively. This combination of foam fractionation and photodegradation process will hopefully be used for treatment of PFOS and other per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances with surface activity and photodegradability.

Objective: To study the postoperative fracture healing, trauma degree and neurological functional recovery in thoracolumbar burst fracture patients with or without screw placement in injured vertebra. Methods: Patients with single-segment thoracolumbar burst fracture who received posterior short-segment pedicle screw fixation in our hospital between May 2012 and December 2014 were selected as the research subjects and divided into screw placement group (group A) and no screw placement group (group B) according to the screw placement in injured vertebra or not, fracture healing was followed up, the injured vertebral anterior height and Cobb's angle were measured, and serum pNF-H, HSP70, NSE, S100β, GFAP, IL- 1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and MPO content of determined 3 d after operation. Results: Injured vertebral anterior height of two groups 1 week, half a year and 1 year after operation were significantly higher than those before operation and Cobb's angle were significantly lower than those before operation, injured vertebral anterior height of two groups half a year and 1 year after operation were significantly lower than those 1 week after operation and Cobb's angle were significantly higher than those 1 week after operation, injured vertebral anterior height of group A half a year and 1 year after operation were significantly higher than those of group B and Cobb's angle were significantly lower than those of group B; 3 d after operation, serum pNF-H, HSP70, NSE, S100β, GFAP, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α and MPO content were not significantly different between two groups of patients. Conclusion: Screw placement in injured vertebra in posterior short-segment pedicle screw fixation treatment of thoracolumbar burst fracture can reduce the loss of vertebral height and kyphosis correction and improve long-term spinal nerve function without increasing the surgical trauma.

As an abundant natural resource, wood has gained great attention for thousands of years, spanning from the primitive construction materials to the modern high-added-value engineering materials. The unique delicate microstructures and the wonderful properties (e.g., low-density, high strength and stiffness, good toughness, and environmental sustainability) have made wood a natural source of inspiration that guides researchers to invent various wood-inspired materials. Herein, as an emerging material system, bioinspired artificial wood, with similar cellular structures and comparable mechanical properties, is discussed in the view of the design concept, fabrication strategy, properties, and possible applications. The present challenges and further research opportunities are also presented for artificial woods to thrive. To achieve the final eco-friendly artificial wood, more endeavors should be made in biomaterials and biodegradable or recyclable engineering of polymers to gain high mechanical properties and environmental sustainability simultaneously.

Rumen gases include hydrogen (H2), methane (CH4) and carbon oxide (CO2), which are mainly produced during the carbohydrate fermentation to volatile fatty acids. Forage particle size alters chewing activities, which can influence reticulo-rumen motility, and thus may affect the rumen dissolved gases and gases emissions. We hypothesised that increasing forage theoretical cut lengths (TCL) from 20 to 100 mm would alter the distribution of forage particle sizes, which could affect chewing activity, gases production, saturation and emissions in goats. Ten Xiangdong black goats of average body weight of 37 ± 5 kg were randomly assigned to two treatments in a cross-over design. The two dietary treatments had the same concentrate diet with a difference coming from the TCL of forages (20 and 100 mm). Although forage with 100-mm forage TCL had larger particle sizes than 20-mm forage TCL, both treatments had similar physically effective fibre contents larger than 8.98 mm (peNDF>8.98mm). Increasing forage TCL did not alter (P > 0.05) feed intake, total-tract nutrient digestibility, rumen pH, VFA concentration and molar percentage of individual VFA. Increasing forage TCL greatly increased (P 0.05) dissolved H2, CH4 and CO2 in the liquid phase of rumen, gaseous H2 and CH4 in the gas phase of rumen and enteric CH4 and CO2 emissions. Increasing forage TCL had a tendency (P = 0.08) to decrease the saturation factor of H2. In summary, although increasing forage TCL from 20 to 100 mm increased dietary forage particle size, which altered chewing activity with increased eating and rumination activities, such changes in chewing activity had little impact on rumen gases concentrations, saturation factor of gases and enteric gas emissions in goats.

The study was to evaluate replacing corn meal (CM) by corn gluten (CG) on intake, digestibility, ruminal fermentation, CH4 emissions and microbial abundance in goats. The experiment was performed using randomized block design with 2 dietary treatments (CM and CG with 400 g/kg DM each). Replacing CM with CG increased NDF and CP intake and decreased starch intake. Goats fed CG diet had lower ruminal dissolved hydrogen (dH2) (-43%, P = 0.009) and dissolved methane (dCH4) (-30%, P = 0.001) concentrations than those fed with CM diet. An interaction between treatment and time (P = 0.03) was observed for dH2S with an increase (P

Lithium metal is one of the most promising anode materials for high-energy-density Li batteries. However, low stability caused by dendrite growth and volume change during cycling hinders its practical application. Herein, we report an ingenious design of bio-inspired low-tortuosity carbon with tunable vertical micro-channels to be used as a host to incorporate nanosized Sn/Ni alloy nucleation sites, which can guide Li metal's plating/stripping and meanwhile accommodate the volume change. The pore sizes of the vertical channels of the carbon host can be regulated to investigate the structure–performance correlation. After compositing Li, the bio-inspired carbon host with the smallest pore size (∼14 μm) of vertical channels exhibits the lowest overpotential (∼18 mV at 1 mA cm−2), most stable tripping/plating voltage profiles, and best cycling stability (up to 500 cycles) in symmetrical cells. Notably, the carbon/Li composite anode is more rewarding than Li foil when coupled with LiFePO4 in full cells, exhibiting a much lower polarization effect, better rate capability and higher capacity retention (90.6% after 120 cycles). This novel bio-inspired design of a low-tortuosity carbon host with nanoalloy coatings may open a new avenue for fabricating advanced Li-metal batteries with high performance.

Hydrogen is a key metabolite that connects microbial fermentation and methanogenesis in the rumen. This study was to investigate the effects of elevated H2 produced by elemental Mg on rumen fermentation and methanogenesis in dairy cows. Four nonlactating Chinese Holstein dairy cows were employed for this experiment in a replicated crossover design. The 2 dietary treatments included a basal diet supplemented with Mg(OH)2 (14.5 g/kg of feed dry matter) or elemental Mg (6.00 g/kg of feed dry matter). When compared with Mg(OH)2 treatment, cows fed diet with elemental Mg had similar rumen Mg2+ concentration, but higher rumen dissolved H2 and methane concentrations at 2.5 h after morning feeding. Also, elemental Mg supplementation decreased feed digestibility, rumen volatile fatty acid concentration, and relative abundance of group Ruminococcaceae_UCG-014, genus Bifidobacterium, and group Mollicutes_RF9, increased acetate to propionate ratio, succinate concentration, and abundance of family Christensenellaceae. Elemental Mg supplementation increased enteric CH4 emission, altered methanogen community with increased abundance of order Methanomassiliicoccales, 16S ribosomal RNA gene copies of methanogens, and order Methanobacteriales. In summary, the pulse of elevated dissolved H2 after feeding produced by elemental Mg inhibited rumen fermentation and feed digestibility by decreasing the abundance of carbohydrate-degrading bacteria, promoted H2 incorporation into succinate by increasing family Christensenellaceae and genus Bacteroidales_BS11, and increased H2 utilization for methanogenesis by favoring growth of methanogens.

Bioinspired polymeric woods with excellent overall performance can be fabricated by a self-assembly and curing process of resins., Woods provide bioinspiration for engineering materials due to their superior mechanical performance. We demonstrate a novel strategy for large-scale fabrication of a family of bioinspired polymeric woods with similar polyphenol matrix materials, wood-like cellular microstructures, and outstanding comprehensive performance by a self-assembly and thermocuring process of traditional resins. In contrast to natural woods, polymeric woods demonstrate comparable mechanical properties (a compressive yield strength of up to 45 MPa), preferable corrosion resistance to acid with no decrease in mechanical properties, and much better thermal insulation (as low as ~21 mW m−1 K−1) and fire retardancy. These bioinspired polymeric woods even stand out from other engineering materials such as cellular ceramic materials and aerogel-like materials in terms of specific strength and thermal insulation properties. The present strategy provides a new possibility for mass production of a series of high-performance biomimetic engineering materials with hierarchical cellular microstructures and remarkable multifunctionality.

Shaizhudong spring is the largest karst spring in the central of north of the Weihe River, Shaanxi Province, China. A lot of studies have been done for investigating the recharge source of it. The most common understanding was that the leakage of Jinghe was the main recharge source for Shaizhudong Spring which is the concentrated discharge point of hidden karst system in the catchment area of Shaizhudong Spring. However, with the method of hydrogen and oxygen isotopes, and combining the condition of hydro-geochemistry and karst hydro-geology, we have different opinions on the recharge source of Shaizhudong Spring. This study shows the result that the recharge of Shaizhudong Spring is given priority by karst groundwater which is outside the southwest of the Shaizhudong Spring area.

The objective of this study was to investigate differences in fermentation and methanogen communities in samples collected from 3 sites in the rumen of dairy cows. The study involved 3 ruminally cannulated nonlactating Chinese Holstein dairy cows fed a diet of 40% forage and 60% concentrate feeds. Four handfuls of whole ruminal contents were collected from the cranial sac, middle of the ventral sac, and caudodorsal blind sac of the rumen of the cows at 0, 2.5, and 6 h after the morning feeding. Concentrations of VFA, ammonia, and dissolved methane and hydrogen were analyzed. Methanogen populations and communities were analyzed targeting 16s rRNA genes. Dissolved methane concentration and pH were highest in samples from the cranial rumen. Ruminal fluid from the cranial rumen also had greater copy numbers of the Methanobrevibacter and higher Simpson indexes compared with samples from middle of the ventral rumen. In summary, cranial rumen had higher dissolved CH4 concentration than middle and hind rumen, which might be caused by the greater population of Methanobrevibacter with higher ruminal pH.

Single-component white phosphors stand a good chance to serve in the next-generation high-power white light-emitting diodes. Because of low thermal stability and containing lanthanide ions with reduced valence state, most of reported phosphors usually suffer unstable color of lighting for practical packaging and comparably complex synthetic processes. In this work, we present a type of novel color-tunable blue-white-yellow-emitting MgIn

Combined with the Guanzhong basin tectonic evolution, the data of Sr content,87Sr/86Sr ratio and hot water hydrochemistry has been used to study the supply origin and flow path of deep geothermal water in the Guanzhong central region. The Sr isotope study result shows that when accepting recharge, the geothermal water in the northwest and southeast of Xianli terrace both mainly come from northwest direction. A small amount supply source of geothermal water in the Xi 'an city is from Qinling mountain and the principal supply source comes from the west and north direction, however, geothermal water of Chang’an accepts supply from the north of Qinling mountain. Keywords: geothermal water; strontium isotope; basin type; indicating significance