Effects of music stimulus on behavior response,cortisol level,and horizontal immunity of growing pigs

An enriched environment is widely used to improve domestic animals’ welfare and promote their natural behaviors. Music can reduce abnormal behavior in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents. However, little is known about the effects of music on pigs. This study aims to explore the effects of repeated music stimulation on the behavior, physiology, and immunity of growing pigs. A total of 72 hybrid piglets (Large White × Duroc × Minpig) were randomly divided into three groups, including music (Mozart K.448, 60 to 70 dB), noise (recorded mechanical noise, 80 to 85 dB), and control (natural background sound, <40 dB), and 6 h sound stimulation was given per day (1000 to 1600 hours) from 40 to 100 d of age. The behavioral activities of the pigs were observed during the music stimulation, and their serum cortisol, salivary cortisol, and serum immune indices were also measured. Compared with the control group, the music group and noise group increased activity but decreased lying of pigs (P < 0.05). A significant increase in tail-wagging, playing, and exploring behaviors of pigs was found in the music group (P < 0.05), and the noise significantly increased the aggressive behavior of the pigs (P < 0.05). Tail-wagging, playing, exploring, manipulating, and aggressive behaviors decreased over time. Short-term (8 d) music stimulus had a lower cortisol level than that of the noise and control groups (P < 0.05), whereas long-term (60 d) music stimulus increased immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels (P < 0.05) and decreased interleukin-4 (IL-4) level (P < 0.05). Long-term noise stimulus significantly reduced the level of IgG (P < 0.05) but did not affect the level of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ levels (P > 0.05). In conclusion, short-term music stimulus (8 d) reduced the stress response, whereas long-term music stimulus (60 d) enhanced the immune responses. In addition, the noise increased the aggressive behavior, and long-term noise reduced the immunity of the growing pigs.     

甜菜BvGSTU9基因的生物信息学及在镉胁迫下的表达分析

为了进一步研究甜菜谷胱甘肽转移酶BvGSTU9 (LOC104894060)在重金属胁迫过程中的功能。本研究以‘780016B/12优’为实验材料,对该基因序列特征、结构、功能进行预测分析,并利用qPCR检测该基因在不同浓度镉胁迫下的表达量变化。结果显示甜菜BvGSTU9基因全长925 bp,开放阅读框675 bp,编码了由224个氨基酸组成的不稳定膜外蛋白。BvGSTU9与菠菜、藜麦的氨基酸序列相似性较高,与系统发育进化树分析结果基本相符。二级和三级结构预测表明该基因主要由α-螺旋、β-折叠、延伸链及无规则卷曲组成。qPCR显示BvGSTU9基因在不同浓度的镉胁迫下均受到不同程度的诱导,因此可以推断甜菜BvGSTU9基因无论从结构还是功能上,与镉逆境胁迫存在着一定的应答关系。研究结果也为甜菜耐重金属镉机制研究提供参考依据。     

‘哈伯’南天竹组织培养和快速繁殖

为建立‘哈伯’南天竹组织培养和种苗繁育技术体系,以半木质化带芽茎段为外植体材料开展植株再生研究。通过观察对比试验法、L₉(3⁴)正交试验设计完全随机法、极差分析、显著性检验、LSD多重比较,探讨了‘哈伯’南天竹组培的最适培养基配方。试验结果表明：最佳诱导培养基为MS + 6-BA 2.0 mg/L + IBA 0.1 mg/L +蔗糖30 g/L,诱导萌动率71.77%,成活率85.51%;最佳增殖培养基为WPM +6-BA 1.5 mg/L + IBA 0.01 mg/L + 蔗糖30 g/L,增殖系数6.3;最佳生根培养基为1/2 MS+ IBA 0.5 mg/L + NAA 1.0 mg/L + 蔗糖20 g/L + AC 0.2 g/L,生根率97.63%;试管苗移入泥炭土:珍珠岩=3:2(V/V)混合基质中,移栽成活率96.67%。该试验建立了高效稳定的组培快繁技术体系,得到的组培苗后代能够稳定的保持母本优良性状,为工厂化育苗提供了技术支撑。     

绿色富硒生物猪饲料中AFB1达标生产工艺优化研究

饲料中黄曲霉毒素(AFB₁)容易超标,检出率达80%~100%,毒性大,具强致癌性,可抑制生猪免疫机能,降低动物生产性能,引起动物继发感染,还会在动物产品中残留而威胁人类健康,给生猪养殖带来经济损失,降低猪肉食品安全性。本文通过使用先进固体发酵系统设备和益生菌发酵技术,采用单因素试验和响应面中试优化,获得发酵降解猪饲料AFB₁的最佳工艺参数为硒浓度0.3 mg/kg,发酵时间12 h,量子波强度30 Hz,益生菌菌种组合CGMCC NO.17328混合CGMCC NO.15611。该工艺将猪饲料AFB₁量从63.41μg/kg降解到2.98μg/kg,降解率达到95.30%,AFB₁含量达到国家饲料安全标准。生产工艺适合养猪场低成本快速生产AFB₁达标猪饲料。     

滴灌下生物质改良材料对盐渍土水盐氮运移的调控效应

为探究生物质改良材料对滴灌盐渍土水、盐、肥运移过程的调控效应，采用土箱模拟试验，研究了水肥一体化滴灌条件下，生物炭和腐殖酸两种改良材料对盐渍土水、盐、氮运移和再分布过程及其时空分布特征的影响规律。结果表明：在滴灌条件下，盐渍土壤水盐的时空动态变化表现出明显的水分入渗驱动的盐分运移过程和蒸发扩散驱动的水盐再分布过程；铵态氮含量在时间上表现出先增大、后减小的变化趋势，在空间上的运移再分布特征较弱；硝态氮含量初始时空分布表现出与水盐相似的运移特征，受铵态氮硝化作用的多重影响，后期空间分布与铵态氮空间分布相似；生物炭通过提高土壤饱和导水率，增大了入渗阶段土壤水、盐、氮的运移速率和分布范围；腐殖酸通过提高土壤田间持水率增大了再分布过程土壤水、盐、氮的分布范围和强度，同时其对尿素的水解和硝化过程表现出更强的抑制效果。应用生物质改良材料在改变土壤物理性状进而调控滴灌土壤水盐运移的同时，还影响土壤氮素转化运移过程及其分布，这为水肥一体化滴灌盐渍农田的节水、控盐、减肥治理提供了理论基础。     

内蒙古高原紫花苜蓿土壤氮素丰缺指标和推荐施氮量

为了给内蒙古高原紫花苜蓿（Medicago sativa L.）测土施氮奠定科学基础，本研究采用“零散实验数据整合法”和“养分平衡-地力差减法”新应用公式，开展了该自然区域紫花苜蓿土壤氮素丰缺指标和推荐施氮量研究。结果表明：内蒙古高原生长第1年紫花苜蓿土壤碱解氮第1~6级丰缺指标为≥48，20~48，8~20，4~8，2~4和<2 mg·kg^-1，土壤全氮第1~5级丰缺指标为≥1.4，0.8~1.4，0.4~0.8，0.2~0.4和<0.2 g·kg^-1，土壤有机质第1~6级丰缺指标为≥17，10~17，6~10，3~6，2~3和<2 g·kg^-1。当紫花苜蓿目标产量9~18 t·hm^-2、氮肥利用率40%时，内蒙古高原紫花苜蓿第1~6级土壤推荐施氮量分别为0，68~135，135~270，203~405，270~540和338~675 kg·hm^-2。     

水钾耦合对苜蓿根颈抗氧化特性及越冬率的影响

为探究不同水钾耦合处理对科尔沁沙地生境下种植苜蓿（Medicago sativa）抗寒生理特性的影响，以‘骑士T’和‘公农1号’苜蓿品种为试验材料，采用两因素裂区随机区组设计，水分处理为主区：灌水时间间隔分别为4 d，8 d和12 d（用W₁，W₂，W₃表示）；钾肥施用量水平为副区，具体施用量分别为50 kg·hm^-2 K₂O，100 kg·hm^-2 K₂O和150 kg·hm^-2K₂O（用K₁，K₂，K₃表示），并设置不施钾肥为对照（CK），于越冬前期挖取苜蓿根颈材料测定丙二醛（Malondialdehyde，MDA）、可溶性蛋白含量和抗氧化酶活性，翌年测定越冬率。结果表明：在W₃灌水时间间隔处理下，‘骑士T’和‘公农1号’品种苜蓿根颈的过氧化氢酶、过氧化物酶和超氧化物歧化酶活性、越冬率以及可溶性蛋白含量均明显高于W₁和W₂处理，其中以K₂施用量处理下的数值与CK差异最显著（P<0.05），且此施肥量下的MDA含量也显著低于CK（P<0.05）。因此在科尔沁沙地生境下生产苜蓿，灌水时间间隔为12 d、钾肥施用量在100 kg·hm^-2K₂O有利于提高苜蓿抗寒性。     

Role of PhoPR in the response to stress of Mycobacterium bovis

PhoP is part of the two-component PhoPR system that regulates the expression of virulence genes of Mycobacteria. The goal of this work was to elucidate the role of PhoP in the mechanism that Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis, displays upon stress. An analysis of gene expression and acidic growth curves indicated that M. bovis neutralized the external acidic environment by inducing and secreting ammonia. We found that PhoP is essential for ammonia production/secretion and its role in this process seems to be the induction of asparaginase and urease expression. We also demonstrated that the lack of PhoP negatively affected the synthesis of phthiocerol dimycocerosates. This finding is consistent with the role of the lipid anabolism in maintaining the redox environment upon stress in mycobacteria. Altogether the results of this study indicate that PhoP plays an important role in the response mechanisms to stress of M. bovis.