The aim of this study was to examine the effects of milking cessation under different inflammatory conditions on the changes in antimicrobial components in milk and the process of mammary gland involution. Twenty udder halves were divided into two groups: those with (LPS) and without (control) lipopolysaccharide infusion, followed by cessation of milking for 8 weeks. Milk samples were collected weekly.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs drug-resistant strains of Eimeria have emerged and concerns about drug residues in poultry have grown, there is renewed interest in identifying natural alternatives to control coccidiosis. Cedrol, a natural sesquiterpene alcohol, was used in this study to test anticoccidial efficacy in chicks. Both the control and treatment groups were orally challenged with 2 × 10 oocysts per chicken.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe axial orientation of molecular chains always results in an increase in fiber strength and a decrease in toughness. Here, taking inspiration from the skin structure, artificial spider silk with a buckled sheath-core structure is developed, with mechanical strength and toughness reaching 1.61 GPa and 466 MJ m , respectively, exceeding those of Caerostris darwini silk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRhoptry proteins (ROPs) of Apicomplexa are crucial secreted virulence factors and sources of vaccine candidates. To date, ROPs are not well studied. This study identified and characterized a novel ROP (EtROP35), which showed the highest levels among 28 putative ROPs in previous sporozoite and merozoite transcriptomes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThioredoxin (Trx) is a widespread protein regulator of redox reactions in all organisms. It operates together with NADPH and thioredoxin reductase as a general protein disulfide catalytic system. Recently, Trx has been found to be related to the process by which apicomplexan protozoa invade host cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlthough previous research shows great interest in improving the sustainability of organizations' performance, little is known about individual sustainable performance, especially for special groups such as tour guides. Drawing on the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study aimed to investigate the effect of environmental dynamism caused by COVID-19 on tour guides' sustainable performance and mediating role of vitality and intervention mechanism in this relationship. Adopting a quantitative research method, we collected data from 382 professional tour guides in China via three surveys.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTensile and torsional artificial muscles from biocompatible and biodegradable materials are highly desired for soft robotics, sensors, and controllers in bio-related applications. Twisted fibers can be used to prepare tensile and torsional artificial muscles, while torsional tethering is always required to avoid release of the inserted twist, which adds complexity to the device design. Moreover, the tuning of the reversibility of twisted fiber artificial muscles has not been realized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe effects of feeding diets containing astaxanthin with different Z-isomer ratios to laying hens on egg qualities, such as astaxanthin concentration in egg yolk and yolk color, were investigated. As the astaxanthin source, a natural microorganism Paracoccus carotinifaciens was used. Astaxanthin with different Z-isomer ratios was prepared by thermal treatment with different conditions and then added to the basal diet at a final astaxanthin concentration of 8 mg/kg.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHaze pollution has significant impacts on tourist perception and behaviour, including a sharp increase in risk perception and a decline in tourism experience quality. However, given the intervention of multiple factors, whether these impacts necessarily have a negative effect on the overall scale of regional tourism remains unknown. Hence, this paper explored the overall effect of haze pollution on domestic travel.
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