Effects of soft pellet creep feed on pre-weaning and post-weaning performance and intestinal development in piglets

Chen Hao,Wang Chunwei,Wang You,Chen Yilin,Wan Meng,Zhu Jiadong,Zhu Aixia 아세아·태평양축산학회 2021 Animal Bioscience Vol.34 No.4

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of soft pellet creep feed (SPCF) on growth performance and intestinal development in piglets. Methods: A total of 18 sows and their litters of crossbred piglets (14±2 days, 3.73±0.72 kg) were assigned to one of three dietary groups receiving i) powder creep feed (PCF), ii) hard pellet creep feed (HPCF) or iii) SPCF during the pre-weaning period. After weaning, piglets were selected for continuous evaluation of the three diets on growth performance and intestinal health. Results: In the pre-weaning period, the average daily feed intake and average daily dry matter intake were significantly higher in the SPCF group than the HPCF group (p<0.05). In the post-weaning and entire experimental period, the different diets had no significant effect on growth performance. At 10 d after weaning, the serum glucose concentration was lower in the SPCF group (p<0.05) than the other groups; a higher (p<0.05) villus height and lower (p<0.05) crypt depth in the jejunum were also observed in the SPCF group than the other groups; Meanwhile, in the duodenum and jejunum, the SPCF group had a higher (p<0.05) villus height to crypt depth ratio than the other groups; Furthermore, the higher (p<0.05) threshold cycle values of lactic acid bacteria and lower (p<0.05) threshold cycle values of Clostridium, Enterobacter and Escherichia coli were also observed in the SPCF group, and the sucrase and maltase activity was higher (p<0.05) in the SPCF group than the other groups in duodenum and ileum. Conclusion: The SPCF improved pre-weaning feed intake and decreased the negative effects of weaning stress in the intestine in piglets. Objective: This study aimed to determine the effects of soft pellet creep feed (SPCF) on growth performance and intestinal development in piglets.Methods: A total of 18 sows and their litters of crossbred piglets (14±2 days, 3.73±0.72 kg) were assigned to one of three dietary groups receiving i) powder creep feed (PCF), ii) hard pellet creep feed (HPCF) or iii) SPCF during the pre-weaning period. After weaning, piglets were selected for continuous evaluation of the three diets on growth performance and intestinal health.Results: In the pre-weaning period, the average daily feed intake and average daily dry matter intake were significantly higher in the SPCF group than the HPCF group (p<0.05). In the post-weaning and entire experimental period, the different diets had no significant effect on growth performance. At 10 d after weaning, the serum glucose concentration was lower in the SPCF group (p<0.05) than the other groups; a higher (p<0.05) villus height and lower (p<0.05) crypt depth in the jejunum were also observed in the SPCF group than the other groups; Meanwhile, in the duodenum and jejunum, the SPCF group had a higher (p<0.05) villus height to crypt depth ratio than the other groups; Furthermore, the higher (p<0.05) threshold cycle values of lactic acid bacteria and lower (p<0.05) threshold cycle values of <i>Clostridium, Enterobacter and Escherichia coli</i> were also observed in the SPCF group, and the sucrase and maltase activity was higher (p<0.05) in the SPCF group than the other groups in duodenum and ileum.Conclusion: The SPCF improved pre-weaning feed intake and decreased the negative effects of weaning stress in the intestine in piglets.

Investigate the Effect of Potassium on Nodule Symbiosis and Uncover an HAK/KUP/KT Member, GmHAK5, Strongly Responsive to Root Nodulation in Soybean

Liu Jianjian,Liu Jinhui,Cui Miaomiao,Chen Xiao,Liu Junli,Chen Jiadong,Chen Aiqun,Xu Guohua 한국식물학회 2022 Journal of Plant Biology Vol.65 No.6

Leguminous plants form root nodule organs with soil rhizobia bacteria, which can fix atmospheric nitrogen (N2) and supply ammonia to the host plant. It is established that the symbiotic N fixation efficiency is substantially influenced by plant nutrients, such as molybdenum (Mo), phosphorus (P), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn). Potassium (K+) is the most abundant cation in plant cells; however, little evidence regarding the potential link between K nutrition and symbiotic N fixation efficiency is available to date. Here, we showed that K+ deficiency reduced the efficiency of symbiotic nitrogen fixation, and inoculated with rhizobia strain USDA110 could improve plant K+ acquisition. Furthermore, we identified a potassium transporter gene (GmHAK5) that was highly expressed in the root steles and in the vasculature cells of nodules. The GmHAK5 protein was localized at the plasma membrane and could rescue the growth phenotype of yeast K+ uptake-defective mutant. The results obtained from this study provides new insights for the understanding of the potential role of K+ nutrition in modulating symbiotic N fixation in soybean.

The <i>Ink4a/Arf</i> Locus Is a Barrier to Direct Neuronal Transdifferentiation

Price, James D.,Park, Ki-Youb,Chen, Jiadong,Salinas, Ryan D.,Cho, Mathew J.,Kriegstein, Arnold R.,Lim, Daniel A. Society for Neuroscience 2014 The Journal of neuroscience Vol.34 No.37

<P>Non-neurogenic cell types, such as cortical astroglia and fibroblasts, can be directly converted into neurons by the overexpression of defined transcription factors. Normally, the cellular phenotype of such differentiated cells is remarkably stable and resists direct cell transdifferentiation. Here we show that the <I>Ink4a/Arf</I> (also known as <I>Cdkn2a</I>) locus is a developmental barrier to direct neuronal transdifferentiation induced by transcription factor overexpression. With serial passage <I>in vitro</I>, wild-type postnatal cortical astroglia become progressively resistant to <I>Dlx2</I>-induced neuronal transdifferentiation. In contrast, the neurogenic competence of <I>Ink4a/Arf</I>-deficient astroglia is both greatly increased and does not diminish through serial cell culture passage. Electrophysiological analysis further demonstrates the neuronal identity of cells induced from <I>Ink4a/Arf-</I>null astroglia, and short hairpin RNA-mediated acute knockdown of p16Ink4a and p19Arf p16<SUP>Ink4a</SUP> and p19<SUP>Arf</SUP> indicates that these gene products function postnatally as a barrier to cellular transdifferentiation. Finally, we found that mouse fibroblasts deficient for <I>Ink4a/Arf</I> also exhibit greatly enhanced transcription factor-induced neuronal induction. These data indicate that <I>Ink4a/Arf</I> is a potent barrier to direct neuronal transdifferentiation and further suggest that this locus functions normally in the progressive developmental restriction of postnatal astrocytes.</P>

Effect of porosity gradient in cathode gas diffusion layer on electrochemical performance of proton exchange membrane fuel cells

Yang Guogang,Wang Hao,Su Fengmin,Li Shian,Zhang Guoling,Sun Juncai,Shen Qiuwan,Jiang Ziheng,Liao Jiadong,Chen Pengyu 한국화학공학회 2023 Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering Vol.40 No.7

Proton exchange nembrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are highly promising energy devices for future transportation and distributed power stations. The electrochemical performance of PEMFCs assembled with gas diffusion layer (GDL) of different porosity gradient distributions has been analyzed using the lattice Boltzmann method. A single-phase multi-component lattice Boltzmann model employing the active approach was developed to investigate the reactive gas flow within the GDL. Two types of GDLs with the same porosity, namely multilayer porosity gradient GDLs and linear porosity gradient GDLs, were generated to investigate the effect of the porosity gradient of the GDL on the electrochemical performance of PEMFC. The results show that the two types of porosity gradient GDL improve oxygen starvation problems and enhance water management, and that the GDLs with smaller porosity gradients can increase the mean current density. This paper develops the study of pore-scale analysis of PEMFC performance and can provide guidance for the design of GDL structures.