Satiation effects in piscivore prey size selection

Abstract –  We present a functional response model that primarily evaluates effects of satiation in piscivore prey-size selection. The model also includes other passive processes, such as prey-size-dependent encounter rate and prey-size-dependent capture success, where capture success decreases and encounter rate increases with prey size. The model generates a wide variety of outcomes, where small, intermediate or large prey is positively selected for. These very different selectivity patterns are generated without any active prey choice included in the model. The results stress the importance of controlling for satiation and other passive processes in empirical studies on prey-size selection, especially if the aim is to test active prey choice in piscivores.     

Influence of dietary feathers on the fecal microbiota in captive Arctic fox: Do dietary hair or feathers play a role in the evolution of carnivorous mammals?

Hair and feathers are composed of keratin and are indigestible, inalimental and unpalatable for carnivores. However, carnivores often ingest hair and feathers during feeding or when grooming. We hypothesized that ingestion of hair and feathers changes species diversity and relative abundance of bacteria in the gut of carnivores. To test this hypothesis, we added disinfected poultry down feathers to the normal diet of captive Arctic foxes (Alopex lagopus). We then used fluorescently labeled terminal restriction fragments (T‐RFs) to examine changes in fecal bacterial diversity and abundance. The results showed that the number of bacterial species increased significantly after feather ingestion, but that total abundance was unchanged. This demonstrated that addition of disinfected feathers to the diet stimulated increased production among less abundant bacteria, resulting in a balancing of relative abundance of different bacterial species, or that some newly‐ingested microbial species would colonize the gut because a suitable microhabitat had become available. This implies that the overall production of bacterial metabolites would be made up of a greater range of substances after feather ingestion. On one hand, the host's immune response would be more diverse, increasing the capacity of the immune system to regulate gut microflora. On the other hand, the animal's physiological performance would also be affected. For wild animals, such altered physiological traits would be subjected to natural selection, and, hence, persistent geographic differences in the character of ingested feathers or fur would drive speciation.     

Effects of Weaning on Immunity and Nutrition in Piglets

The number of birth per year was an important indicator of the sow's productivity and it was related to the duration of breastfeeding.Weaning had been shown to be a stressful period.The weaning age had declined over time in order to increase sow productivity and the fact that weaning under modem-day commercial conditions inflicted stress (environmental,nutritional and psychological/social) on pigs and associated with marked changes in gastrointestinal tract (GIT) physiology,microbiology and immunology.However,the early weaning resulted in post-weaning diarrhea,mainly related to intestinal dysbiosis during this rapid adaptation to the new diet.The environment and feed had influence on physiology,gut morphology,immune system and diseases of weaned piglets.     

肠相关性淋巴样组织研究概况

系统论述了肠相关淋巴组织的组成结构及其在肠道黏膜免疫中的功能作用，同时，概述了肠相关淋巴组织在消化道感染中的可能作用，并指出从黏膜免疫的角度来研究畜禽消化道疾病的病原体与消化道粘膜感染的关系是揭示这类疾病发生机理的一个新的突破点，它将为策划新的防制战略以控制畜禽消化道疾病的发生和消化道感染提供重要的依据。     

茶多酚体内吸收、分布、代谢和排泄研究进展

茶多酚是茶叶中重要的活性物质,具有多种保健功效,例如预防代谢综合症、癌症以及神经退行性疾病等。茶多酚体内的吸收、分布、代谢和排泄(ADME)与茶多酚的健康功效紧密相关。本文综述了近年来荼多酚体内ADME的研究结果,表明EGCG在人体内的相对生物利用度并不低于小鼠,灌胃给药后肠道中的EGCE含量最高,而在脑组织中的分布极少;同时可以发现肝脏是体内EGCG的主要处置器官,之后通过胆汁排泄。对于2种儿荼素而言,非酯型儿茶素(EC和EGC)口服后在体内相对生物利用度高于酯型儿茶素(EGCG和ECG)。系统地比较了荼多酚在人体及其他动物模型中的代谢规律,为进一步研究和开发茶多酚提供参考。     

操作系统的安全策略

简述了网络安全的发展过程及网络安全的基本知识，操作系统安全性的现状，探讨了现有系统所存在的隐患，并提出了相应的解决方案，包括传统的安全措施和一整套解决网络平台安全性问题的方案。     

T-RFLP分析技术在肉鸡肠道微生物研究中的应用

本文阐述了末端限制性片段长度多态性(T-RFLP)分析技术的基本原理和技术路线,讨论了应用T-RFLP分析技术相对于应用传统方法研究肉鸡肠道微生物的优势,总结了应用T-RFLP分析技术研究肉鸡肠道微生物的发展历程,分析了应用T-RFLP分析技术研究肉鸡肠道微生物存在的问题及解决方法,并对其应用前景进行了展望.     

The Application of Microbiome Culturomics in Veterinary Medicine

Under laboratory conditions, the number of cultured microorganisms accounts for about 1% of the total number of microorganisms in nature, which limits people's understanding and utilization of 99% of the unknown microorganisms. However, relevant researches show that those "uncultured microorganisms" can be developed and utilized, and the uncultured microorganisms are the main body of the unknown microorganisms. The microbial culturomics explored the application of multiple culture conditions and long-term culture, it was combined with Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequencing to identify all kinds of microorganisms on a large scale. At the same time, whole-genome sequencing (WGS) and Metagenomics sequencing technology were used to analyze unknown microorganisms in depth. In this paper, the latest progress of culturomics in the ruminant gastrointestinal tract, poultry cecum, and livestock nasal microflora in recent years was reviewed, and the feasibility of applying the method of microflora culturomics in animal disease prevention and control was discussed. As a new research idea, culturomics has some immature aspects, but its development prospect is very broad. The complementary of microflora culturomics and other research methods have gradually become a breakthrough in the development of veterinary microbiology.     

High Throughput Sequencing to Study the Effect of Chronic Renal Failure on the Diversity and Gene Function Prediction of Gut Microbiota in Dogs

This study aimed to investigate the effect of chronic renal failure(CRF) on the gut microbiota diversity and predict the gene function of the flora. A total of 30 2-year-old dogs were selected and randomly divided into the chronic renal failure model group (CRF, established by renal artery ligation), sham operation control group (Sham) and healthy control group (HCG). All animals were fed normally during the 56 days of test period. The serum creatinine (Scr), blood urea nitrogen (BUN) and urine protein / creatinine ratio (UP/C) were detected regularly during the experiment. The effects of chronic renal failure on the structure, diversity and function of gut microbiota were analyzed according to the result of bacterial 16S rDNA sequencing from fresh feces collected without contamination. The flora markers index (FMI) was constructed based on the principal component Logistic regression analysis of different microbiota in CRF group to predict the development of chronic renal failure. The results showed that: 1) The levels of Scr, BUN and UP/C in CRF group from the start of the 28th day of the experiment were significantly higher than those of HCG group and Sham group (P<0.05), and significantly higher than that of the first day of CRF group (P<0.05). 2) Compared with those before chronic renal failure (CRF group at day 0 and 28), HCG group and Sham group, the Chao 1 diversity and Shannon diversity of gut microbiota in CRF group at day 56 were significantly lower (P<0.05), while the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria significantly increased and the number of Firmicutes significantly decreased (P<0.05). 3) LEfSe analysis showed that 20 species were enriched in CRF group, mainly including Pseudomonas, Escherichia, Proteus and so on, and most of them had negative correlation with other intestinal bacteria. Functional prediction revealed that genes of those different species were mainly enriched in amino acid metabolism, sugar biosynthesis and metabolism and carbohydrate metabolism in CRF group. The area under ROC curve (AUC) of the FMI constructed with those species enriched was 0.788, which could be used as the intestinal microbial marker for CRF in dogs. In summary, chronic renal failure can reduce the diversity of intestinal microbiota, lead to the imbalance of bacterial structure and change of bacterial function. Moreover, the enriched gut microbiota in CRF group can be used as the intestinal microbial marker of CRF in dogs, and the best prediction effect can be obtained by FMI.