High albumen height by expression of GALNT9 and thin eggshell by decreased Ca2+ transportation caused high hatchability in Huainan partridge chicken.

Hatchability could be quite different among individuals of indigenous chicken breed which might be affected by the egg quality. In this study, hatchability was individually recorded among 800 forty-wk-old Huainan partridge chickens. The chickens were then divided into high and low hatchability groups (HH and LH group) with 50 birds in each group. Egg quality was further determined in the 2 groups. Eight birds from each group were selected for slaughtering and tissue, responsible for egg formation, collection for structure observation by staining and candidate gene expression by transcriptome analysis. The hatchability in HH was 100% and 61.18% in LH. The eggshell thickness and shell strength were significantly lower, while the albumen height and Haugh unit were significantly higher in HH group than those in LH group (P < 0.05). The magnum weight and index, and the expression of polypeptide N-acetylgalactosaminyltransferase 9 (GALNT9), which responsible for thick albumen synthesis, in HH group were also significantly higher than that of LH group (P < 0.05). Compared with the LH group, there were 702 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in HH group, of which 402 were up-regulated and 300 were down-regulated. Candidate genes of calbindin 1 (CALB1) and solute carrier family 26 member 9 (SLC26A9), which regulate calcium signaling pathway so as to affect Ca2+ transportation, exhibited significant high and low expression, respectively, in HH group compared to those in LH group (P < 0.05). Therefore, indigenous chicken with high expression of GALNT9 in magnum to form thick albumen to provide more protein for embryo, while high CALB1 and low expression of SLC26A9 to decrease Ca2+ transportation so as to form a thinner eggshell and provide better gas exchange during embryo development.

Self-Powered, Highly Sensitive, and Flexible Humidity Sensor Based on Carboxymethyl Cellulose for Multifunctional Applications.

Self-powered humidity sensors based on friction electric and piezoelectric principles have been proposed in recent years. However, the complicated structure and preparation processes usually involved in these power generation humidity sensors limit their wider application. Herein, we developed a self-powered flexible humidity sensor with a simple structure and facile preparation process based on the primary battery principle. The self-powered humidity sensor consists of copper conductive tape as the positive electrode, nickel conductive tape as the negative electrode, and a carboxymethyl cellulose film dissolved with lithium chloride and sodium chloride as the sensing layer. The sensor exhibits good sensing linearity (R2 = 0.99791) in a wide relative humidity range (11-95%) with a satisfying response voltage of 41 mV (RH 95%) and excellent flexibility. Furthermore, the conduction mechanism of the sensing film was investigated by the complex impedance and phase angle-frequency spectral measurement and analysis. Multifunctional applications of human respiration monitoring to determine the respiratory rate and type, noncontact sensing, diaper and soil moisture detection, and power generation were demonstrated. The low-cost and facile preparation method in this work could provide a useful strategy for developing a self-powered, flexible, and multifunctional humidity sensor.

Investigation of the Multimechanism Laser Cleaning Dynamics for Rough Fused Silica Surfaces with Organic Contaminants: A Computational Simulation and Atomic Analysis.

The detrimental impact of organic contaminants on optical components poses a significant obstacle to high-energy laser systems. However, irregularities or defects on the surface of optical components during manufacturing can affect the process of organic contaminant removal. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay among surface roughness, contaminant absorption, and ablation is essential to effectively address the challenges of laser-induced damage. In this study, a molecular dynamics approach was employed to investigate the interaction between laser-fused silica and contaminants and to analyze the influence of surface roughness on the removal of contaminants from fused silica. Research findings demonstrate that during laser irradiation, organic contaminants on the surface of mechanical components diffuse into the optical elements. As the laser flux increases, the contaminants gradually decompose into smaller molecular clusters. Additionally, the phenomenon of contaminant ablation is observed to consist of two distinct phases: the "Thermal expansion phase" and the "Thermal ablation phase." The study examines the impact of substrate roughness on the contaminant removal in these two phases. It is found that a higher surface roughness leads to stronger thermal expansion and vaporization of contaminants. With increasing roughness of the fused silica substrate, the corresponding van der Waals energy and pressure decrease under the same laser fluence, making the removal of contaminants easier. These results provide valuable insights into the interaction between laser irradiation and organic contaminants.

High dietary energy decreased reproductive performance through increasing lipid deposition in Yangzhou geese at late laying stage.

Dietary metabolizable energy (ME) level could offer a well production performance through maintaining lipid homeostasis in poultry. In this study, a total of 540 geese (450 females and 90 males) at 64 wk of age with similar body weight (4,600 ± 382) were randomly divided into 5 groups with 3 replicates in each group and 30 females and 6 males (1♂:5♀) in each replicate. After 2 wk adaptation, the 5 groups were designed to provide diet with ME intakes of 9.65, 10.05, 10.70, 11.45, and 11.75 MJ/kg, respectively, according to production requirement. Body weight, egg production, hatchability, blood lipid, and fat deposition were recorded after 6 wk feeding. The expression of lipid synthesis-related genes, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) and fatty acid synthase (FASN), were determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Geese fed with high ME diet of 11.75 MJ/kg caused an increased liver and abdominal fat weight and low hatchability of set eggs. The ovarian weight and oviduct length were higher in geese fed dietary energy of 10.7 MJ/kg as compared to the 9.65 MJ/kg groups, whereas no significant difference was observed in geese fed dietary energy of 10.05 MJ/kg. Dietary energy level did not change the concentration of serum lipids at the late egg laying stage. The LPL expression exhibited linear and quadratic effect in response to dietary ME. The FASN expression showed quadratic effect and a relatively higher expression was exhibited in 10.05 and 11.45 MJ/kg than that of the 9.65 and 10.70 MJ/kg ME groups. According to the productivity, reproductive performance, and fat deposition, dietary ME of 10.13 to 10.28 MJ/kg could be suggested for breeding geese at their late laying stage.

Egg Yolk Fat Deposition Is Regulated by Diacylglycerol and Ceramide Enriched by Adipocytokine Signaling Pathway in Laying Hens.

The mechanism which regulates differential fat deposition in egg yolk from the indigenous breeds and commercial laying hens is still unclear. In this research, Chinese indigenous Huainan Partridge chickens and Nongda III commercial laying hens were used for egg collection and liver sampling. The weight of eggs and yolk were recorded. Yolk fatty acids were determined by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Lipid metabolites in the liver were detected by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. Yolk weight, yolk ratio and yolk fat ratio exhibited higher in the Huainan Partridge chicken than that of the Nongda III. Compared to the Nongda III, the content of total saturated fatty acid was lower, while the unsaturated fatty acid was higher in the yolk of the Huainan Partridge chicken. Metabolites of phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylserine from glycerolphospholipids, and metabolites of diacylglycerol from glycerolipids showed higher enrichment in the Huainan Partridge chicken than that of the Nongda III, which promoted the activation of the adipocytokine signaling pathway. However, metabolites of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylethanolamine and lysophosphatidylcholine from glycerol phospholipids, and metabolites of triacylglycerol from glycerolipids showed lower enrichment in the Huainan Partridge chicken than that of the Nongda III. The high level of yolk fat deposition in the Huainan Partridge chicken is regulated by the activation of the adipocytokine signaling pathway which can promote the accumulation of diacylglycerol and ceramide in the liver.

New Insight on the Combined Effects of Hydrothermal Treatment and FeSO4/Ca(ClO)2 Oxidation for Sludge Dewaterability Improvement: Moisture Distribution and Noncovalent Interaction Calculation.

A combination of hydrothermal treatment and FeSO4/Ca(ClO)2 oxidation was developed in our previous work and was proved to be significantly useful for improving the sludge dewaterability. The dewatering mechanism of the sludge after the combined treatment of hydrothermal treatment and FeSO4·7H2O/Ca(ClO)2 was obtained for the first time based on the moisture distribution analysis. Moreover, the noncovalent interaction between the hydrophilic sites of sludge EPS in sludge and water molecules was studied for the first time by using density functional theory. The electrostatic potentials of three representative EPS molecules, that is, dextran, poly-gamma-glutamate, and poly-l-lysine, were calculated and analyzed. AIM and RDG of the representative EPS·water complex models were calculated to study the noncovalent interaction mechanism. The moisture distribution and noncovalent interactions analyzed in this paper will provide information for improving sludge dewatering performance.