Impacts of Early Weaning on Lamb Gut Health and Immune Function: Short-Term and Long-Term Effects.

Despite the known impacts of weaning on animal health, the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear, particularly how psychological and nutritional stress differentially affect gut health and immune function over time. This study hypothesized that early weaning exerts distinct short- and long-term effects on lamb stress physiology, immunity, and gut health, mediated by specific molecular pathways. Twelve pairs of full-sibling male Hu sheep lambs were assigned to control (CON) or early-weaned (EW) groups.

Impact of crumbled pelleted starter feed and alfalfa inclusion on feed intake, growth, and rumen microbiota in young lambs.

Pelleted feed has multiple advantages in animal production, but its hardness may limit the intake of young lambs whose teeth and digestive systems are not yet fully developed, especially when the feed contains alfalfa and is produced with a high compression ratio in small diameters. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of removing alfalfa from starter feed or post-pelleting crumbling on lamb performance. We hypothesized that crumbling pelleted feed could reduce hardness, thereby increasing intake and enhancing performance.

Microbial insights into ruminal fiber degradation and feed efficiency of Hu sheep.

Ruminal fiber degradation is essential for feed conversion efficiency in sheep; however, it remains unclear whether individual variations in ruminal fiber degradation directly affect feed conversion efficiency. Here, the relationship between ruminal fiber degradation rate and feed conversion efficiency and influence of rumen structure, function, and microbiota on fiber degradation were investigated. A total of 190 male Hu lambs were randomly selected, raised from birth to 180 days, and slaughtered.

Gelatin and zinc ion-cooperated triple crosslinked hydrogels with high mechanical properties and ultrasensitivity for multimodal sensing and handwriting recognition.

With the rapid development of flexible electronics technology, high-performance flexible sensors have shown great potential in wearable devices and human-computer interaction fields. In this study, a hydrogel (PMAGZ) reinforced by gelatin and Zn was prepared using a one-pot method, which formed a triple-bonded cross-linked network structure through covalent, hydrogen, and ligand bonds to exhibit excellent mechanical properties and sensing characteristics, and can be applied to multimodal sensors and handwriting recognition. The introduction of gelatin and Zn strengthens the cross-linked structure inside the hydrogel, which can effectively improve the tensile strength, strain, and toughness of the hydrogel.

Relationship between jejunum ATPase activity and antioxidant function on the growth performance, feed conversion efficiency, and jejunum microbiota in Hu sheep (Ovis aries).

Background: ATPase activity and the antioxidant function of intestinal tissue can reflect intestinal cell metabolic activity and oxidative damage, which might be related to intestinal function. However, the specific influence of intestinal ATPase activity and antioxidant function on growth performance, feed conversion efficiency, and the intestinal microbiota in sheep remains unclear.

Results: This study analyzed the correlation between ATPase activity and antioxidant function in the jejunum of 92 Hu sheep and their growth performance and feed conversion efficiency.

PDE9A polymorphism and association analysis with growth performance and gastrointestinal weight of Hu sheep.

Phosphodiesterase 9A (PDE9A) plays a crucial role in activating the cGMP-dependent signaling pathway and may have important effects on the growth and development of the gastrointestinal tract in Hu sheep. In this study, we analyzed the single nucleotide polymorphisms of PDE9A in 988 Hu sheep and their correlation with growth performance, feed efficiency, and gastrointestinal development. Additionally, we examined the expression level of different PDE9A genotypes in the gastrointestinal tract of Hu sheep by using fluorescence quantitative PCR.

Transcriptome Analysis to Elucidate the Effects of Milk Replacer Feeding Level on Intestinal Function and Development of Early Lambs.

Although early feeding strategies influence intestinal development, the effects of milk replacer (MR) feeding level on intestinal structure and functional development and underlying regulatory mechanisms remain unclear. In this study, 14 male Hu lambs were fed MR at 2% or 4% of their average body weight and weaned at 35 days of age. The MR was produced by the Institute of Feed Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, and it contains 96.

Study on Low-Velocity Impact Damage and Residual Strength of Reinforced Composite Skin Structure.

In order to better understand the damage tolerance of reinforced composite plates, the impact damage of the reinforced composite plates was investigated under low-velocity impact test. The experimental results show that the impact of different positions and energies causes different degrees of damage to the specimens, including but not limited to ply fracture, internal delamination of the skin, and debonding of the stiffeners and skin. After impacting, the specimens were tested in an axial compression.