Influence of micronization (fine grinding) of soya bean meal and fullfat soya bean on productive performance and digestive traits in young pigs

Two trials were conducted to test the effect of micronization (very fine grinding) of soya bean meal (SBM) and fullfat soya bean (FFSB) on productive performance and digestive traits of piglets. The experimental design was completely randomized with four treatments arranged factorially (SBM and FFSB, micronized and ground). The mean particle size (MPS) was 47 and 881 μm for the SBM and 41 and 778 μm for the FFSB, micronized and ground, respectively. In trial 1 growth traits from 23 to 45 days of age and the coefficient of total tract apparent digestibility (CTTAD) of dietary components at 33 and 45 days of age were assessed. In trial 2 the coefficient of ileal apparent digestibility (CIAD) of dietary components, the pH of the gastro intestinal tract (GIT) and the weight of digestive organs and spleen were measured at 45 days of age. From 23 to 33 days of age pigs fed SBM grew faster (253 g/d versus 213 g/day; P<0.05) and were more efficient (0.87 g/g versus 0.98 g/g; P<0.01) than pigs fed FFSB. For the entire experiment (23–45 days of age) pigs fed SBM tended to grow more (360 g/day versus 324 g/day) and to eat more feed (414 g/day versus 380 g/day) than pigs fed FFSB (P<0.10). The CTTAD of crude protein (0.798 g/kg versus 0.778 g/kg), organic matter (0.864 g/kg versus 0.839 g/kg) and gross energy (0.849 g/kg versus 0.830 g/kg) were higher for pigs fed SBM than for pigs fed FFSB (P<0.001). In addition, CIAD of organic matter (0.765 g/kg versus 0.705 g/kg) and gross energy (0.761 g/kg versus 0.711 g/kg) were higher for SBM than for FFSB diets (P<0.001). The pH of the different segments of the GIT was not affected by the protein source (P>0.10). Particle size did not affect any trait studied (P>0.10). The poor performance and digestibility of pigs fed FFSB as compared to pigs fed SBM might be related to the conditions applied during processing. It is concluded that pigs fed soya bean meal perform better than pigs fed FFSB and that micronization of the soya protein sources does not affect any trait studied.     

β-多样性的研究：应用多元回归和典范分析研究生态方差的分解

 β-多样性刻画了地理区域中不同地点物种组成的变化,是理解生态系统功能、生物多样性保护和生态系统管理的一个重要概念。该文介绍了如何从群落组成,相关环境和空间数据角度去分析β-多样性。β-多样性可以通过计算每个地点的多样性指数,进而对可能解释点之间差异的因子所作的假设进行检验来研究。也可以将涵盖所有点的群落组成数据表看作是一系列环境和空间变量的函数,进行直接分析。这种分析应用统计方法将多样性指数或群落组成数据表的方差进行关于环境和空间变量的分解。该文对方差分解进行阐述。方差分解是利用环境和空间变量来解释β-多样性的一种方法。β-多样性是生态学家用来比较不同地点或同一地点不同生态群落的一种手段。方差分解就是将群落组成数据表的总方差无偏分解成由各个解释变量所决定的子方差。调整的决定系数提供了针对多元回归和典范冗余分析的无偏估计。 方差分解后,可以对感兴趣的方差解释部分进行显著性检验,同时绘出基于这部分方差解释的预测图。     

Estimation of breed contributions to present and future genetic diversity of 44 North Eurasian cattle breeds using core set diversity measures

Extinction of breeds threatens genetic diversity of livestock species. The need to conserve genetic diversity is widely accepted but involves in general two questions: (i) is the expected loss of diversity in a set of breeds within a defined future time horizon large enough to establish a conservation plan, and if so (ii) which breeds should be prioritised for such a conservation plan? The present study uses a marker assisted methodology to address these questions. The methodology combines core set diversity measures with a stochastic method for the estimation of expected future diversity and breed marginal diversities. The latter is defined as the change in the total diversity of all breeds caused by a one unit decrease in extinction probability of a particular breed. The stochastic method was validated by means of simulations. A large field data set consisting of 44 North Eurasian cattle breeds was analysed using simplified determined extinction probabilities. The results show that the expected loss of diversity in this set within the next 20 to 50 years is between 1 and 3% of the actual diversity, provided that the extinction probabilities which were used are approximately valid. If this loss is to be reduced, it is sufficient to include those three to five breeds with the highest marginal diversity in a conservation scheme.     

The tropical history and future of the Mediterranean biota and the West African enigma

Aim Since the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, many tropical taxa from the Indo‐West Pacific (IWP) realm have entered the Mediterranean Sea, which is experiencing rising temperatures. My aims are: (1) to compare biogeographically this tropical transformation of the Mediterranean biota with the tropical faunas of the Mediterranean and adjacent southern European and West African seas during the Late Oligocene to Pliocene interval; (2) to infer the relative contributions of the tropical eastern Atlantic and IWP to the tropical component of the marine biota in southern Europe; and (3) to understand why West Africa is not now a major source of warm‐water species. Location Southern Europe, including the Mediterranean Sea, and the coast of tropical West Africa. Methods I surveyed the literature on fossil and living shell‐bearing molluscs to infer the sources and fates of tropical subgenus‐level taxa living in southern Europe and West Africa during the Late Oligocene to Pliocene interval. Results Ninety‐four taxa disappeared from the tropical eastern Atlantic (including the Mediterranean) but persisted elsewhere in the tropics, mainly in the IWP (81 taxa, 86%) and to a lesser extent in tropical America (36 taxa, 38%). Nine taxa inferred to have arrived in the tropical eastern Atlantic from the west after the Pliocene did not enter the Mediterranean. The modern West African fauna is today isolated from that of other parts of the marine tropics. Main conclusions Taxa now entering the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal are re‐establishing a link with the IWP that last existed 16 million years ago. This IWP element, which evolved under oligotrophic conditions and under a regime of intense anti‐predatory selection, will continue to expand in the increasingly warm and increasingly oligotrophic Mediterranean. The IWP source fauna contrasts with the tropical West African biota, which evolved under productive conditions and in a regime of less anti‐predatory specialization. Until now, the post‐Pliocene West African source area has been isolated from the Mediterranean by cold upwelling. If further warming should reduce this barrier, as occurred during the productive and warm Early Pliocene, the Mediterranean could become a meeting place for two tropical faunas of contrasting source conditions.     

基于主体功能区划的湖南省生态系统服务供需关系演变

生态系统服务供需关系研究是自然资源开发和生态环境保护空间差异化管控的重要依据,基于主体功能区划视角的研究对构建生态安全格局、促进区域经济可持续发展具有重要意义。以湖南省各县域为研究单元构建湖南省生态系统服务供需评估指数,运用ESSD系数、局部空间自相关等方法,将湖南省主体功能区划实施前（2006-2011年）和实施后（2012-2017年）两个时间段作对比,分析生态系统服务供需关系的时空变化及空间相关性特征。研究结果表明：（1）主体功能区划政策对湖南省有效保护生态系统,稳定供需关系产生积极导向作用。（2）湖南省生态系统服务供需系数存在显著的空间异质性,始终呈现西高东低的空间分布特征。各类功能区的生态系统服务供需关系存在较大差异,重要开发区主要表现为供不应求,重要生态功能区主要表现为供过于求,农产品主产区主要表现为供需均衡。（3）湖南省生态系统服务供需关系空间负相关性增强,生态系统服务供需空间平衡性差异加剧。     

Comparison of in vitro and in vivo oligomeric states of a wild type and mutant trimeric inner membrane multidrug transporter

Many membrane proteins exist and function as oligomers or protein complexes. Routine analytical methods involve extraction and solubilization of the proteins with detergents, which could disturb their actual oligomeric state. AcrB is a trimeric inner membrane multidrug transporter in E. coli. In previous studies, we created a mutant AcrB_P223G, which behaves like a monomer when extracted from the cell membrane. However, the actual oligomeric state of AcrB_P223G in cell membranes remained unclear, which complicated the interpretation of the mechanism by which the mutation affects function. Here we used several complementary methods to determine the oligomeric state of AcrB_P223G in E. coli cell membranes. Two sets of quantitative fluorescent techniques were exploited. For these, we created fluorescent tagged AcrB, AcrB-CFP and AcrB-YPet. Fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) were employed to characterize independently the efficiency of energy transfer between co-expressed AcrB-CFP and AcrB-YPet, and the diffusion coefficient of AcrB-YPet and AcrB_P223G-YPet in live E. coli cells. Second, we introduced Cys pairs at the inter-subunit interface and used controlled oxidation to probe inter-subunit distances. The results from all studies converge on the conclusion that AcrB_P223G exists as a trimer in cell membranes, which dissociates during the purification steps. The small change in trimer affinity and structure leads to a significant loss of AcrB activity. In addition, throughout this study we developed protocols and established benchmark values, useful for further studies on membrane protein associations in cell membranes.     

Local extinction of British farmland birds and the prediction of further loss

1.  The populations of many UK farmland birds declined between 1970 and 1990, frequently accompanied by contractions in breeding ranges. Ornithological atlas data, land use data and environmental data at the scale of 10-km squares were used to investigate the relationship between local extinctions and habitat suitability for six species, and to predict where future losses are most likely.
2.  For each species we tested the hypothesis that local extinctions were concentrated in environments that were inherently less suitable. We also tested the hypothesis that spatial patterns of loss were not independent between species due to their concurrence in the same habitats.
3.  Multivariate analyses (PCA) showed that areas where each species became extinct between 1970 and 1990 were more similar in land use type, climate and topography to areas where a species was never present than those where it was retained; local extinction was more likely in less suitable environments. Multiple logistic regression showed that for five of the six species the environmental gradient best predicting presence or absence in 1970 was also that best predicting loss between 1970 and 1990. For the six species studied, local extinctions were least likely in lowland arable areas.
4.  For any pair of species, local extinctions were more frequent outside the area of overlap of the two species' ranges than inside. Within the area of overlap, species tended to be lost from the same squares. For each species, likelihood of local extinction declined with increasing number of the other five species present.
5.  We used model parameters to map the probability of future local extinctions of the six species considered, allowing the identification of key areas for conservation management at a spatial scale appropriate to agri-economic incentives.     

DISENTANGLING THE EFFECTS OF KEY INNOVATIONS ON THE DIVERSIFICATION OF BROMELIOIDEAE (BROMELIACEAE)

The evolution of key innovations, novel traits that promote diversification, is often seen as major driver for the unequal distribution of species richness within the tree of life. In this study, we aim to determine the factors underlying the extraordinary radiation of the subfamily Bromelioideae, one of the most diverse clades among the neotropical plant family Bromeliaceae. Based on an extended molecular phylogenetic data set, we examine the effect of two putative key innovations, that is, the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) and the water‐impounding tank, on speciation and extinction rates. To this aim, we develop a novel Bayesian implementation of the phylogenetic comparative method, binary state speciation and extinction, which enables hypotheses testing by Bayes factors and accommodates the uncertainty on model selection by Bayesian model averaging. Both CAM and tank habit were found to correlate with increased net diversification, thus fulfilling the criteria for key innovations. Our analyses further revealed that CAM photosynthesis is correlated with a twofold increase in speciation rate, whereas the evolution of the tank had primarily an effect on extinction rates that were found five times lower in tank‐forming lineages compared to tank‐less clades. These differences are discussed in the light of biogeography, ecology, and past climate change.     

岷江上游4个栽培树种细根功能性状垂直分布的差异性

细根(直径≤2 mm)功能性状及垂直分布格局是反映植物对土壤资源吸收策略和影响森林地下生态过程的关键。本研究以岷江上游4个人工林树种连香树(Cercidiphyllum japonicum)、白桦(Betula platyphylla)、华山松(Pinus armandii)和油松(P. tabuliformis)为对象,调查不同海拔树木细根功能性状及其在不同土层间的垂直分布格局,并分析细根功能性状分布与构型之间的相关关系。结果表明:阔叶树种比针叶树种有更大的根长密度、生物量、比根长和比表面积,而直径反之; 4个树种细根集中在0～20 cm土层,根长密度和生物量在较高海拔地段均显著大于较低海拔,且均随土壤深度增加而减少,但比根长、比表面积和直径无显著的海拔差异,随土层加深也无明显的垂直变化规律;针阔树种间的细根构型差异显著,但不受海拔差异的影响,阔叶树的细根分支强度与一级根数量显著大于针叶树种;一级根数和根尖密度与比根长以及分根比与根长密度和生物量均呈显著正相关,而分叉与几个细根功能参数均呈负相关;随着土层深度增加,细根总生长量明显减少,但细根资源利用效率和策略不变; 5个细根功能性状...     

早期糖尿病肾病大鼠模型磁共振弥散加权成像的初步研究

目的:探讨早期糖尿病肾病(Diabetic nephropathy,DN)模型大鼠磁共振弥散加权成像(Diffusion Weight Imaging,DWI)肾实质ADC值变化规律。方法:将20只清洁级雄性SD大鼠随机分成两组,糖尿病肾病组(DN组)12只,正常对照组(NC组)8只;DN组给予60 mg/kg链尿佐菌素腹腔注射诱导糖尿病肾病模型,NC组按照相同方法、相同剂量柠檬酸缓冲液腹腔注射;并对最终糖尿病模型造模成功并且存活的8只DN大鼠、8只NC大鼠进行MRI扫描,包括常规轴位T1WI、T2WI扫描及DWI扫描;扫描结束后收集血液送血肌酐及双肾组织进行病理检查。并测量每只大鼠双肾皮、髓质的ADC值。结果:造模后,DN组大鼠血糖明显升高、尿量明显增加、体重明显减低,DN组大鼠肾脏出现不同程度病理损伤,符合早期DN病理改变。DN组大鼠肾脏皮、髓质ADC值分别为1.522±0.913×10^-3 mm^2/s、1.268±0.388×10^-3 mm^2/s,较NC组肾脏皮、髓质ADC值1.276±0.341×10^-3 mm^2/s、1.011±0.217×10^-3 mm^2/s增高,两组比较有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:DWI成像ADC值可能反映早期糖尿病肾病肾脏功能的变化。