[Objective]To characterize the degradation process of polysaccharides isolated from the sclerotium of Inonotus obliquus in artificial gastric juice and artificial intestinal juice. [Method]The artificial gastric juice and artificial intestinal juice was used to degrade the polysaccharides extracted from the sclerotium of Inonotus obliquus with hot water by using semi-bionic method. The sugar content and the reducing sugar content of the sclerotium polysaccharides during and after the degradation process were determined by the phenol-sulfuric acid method and DNS method, respectively. The molecular weight of the degradation products was assessed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). [Result]The sugar content of the polysaccharides extracted from the sclerotium of Inonotus obliquus was decreased continuously with the prolonged degradation time in artificial gastric juice and intestinal juice, and the change of reducing sugar content was not significant. The retention time of the degraded sclerotium polysaccharides in HPLC was not significantly different from that of the undegraded sclerotium polysaccharides, which indicated that the molecular weight of polysaccharides had no significant change before and after the degradation. [Conclusion]The polysaccharides isolated from the sclerotium of Inonotus obliquus in artificial gastric juice and artificial intestinal juice degraded neither by breaking the glycosidic bond at the end of the sugar chain nor by breaking that at the branch chain one by one, but by fracturing the sugar chain of the polysaccharides into short chains.

Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Bacillus licheniformis can regulate the micro-ecological environment of the animal's digestive system, and provide the host with high-quality nutrients and a variety of bioactive enzymes that are beneficial to digestive function. In this study, the dairy cows were used as experimental animals to assess the impacts of dietary supplementation of Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Bacillus licheniformis on their feed intake, milk yield and healthy status. The results showed that the addition of Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Bacillus licheniformis in total mixed ration (TMR) significantly improved the production performance of dairy cows; compared to the control group, the daily feed intake of the experimental group was reduced by 8. 05%, the daily milk yield was significantly elevated by 5. 42% (P<0. 05), and the feed conversion rate was increased by 14. 70%. Furthermore, the digestive level and health status of the dairy cows in experimental group was also improved obviously.

In order to assess the influence of community enrichment on the distribution of behavior areas of captive Ailurus fulgens in Chongqing Zoo, the regional distribution of captive Ailurus fulgens before and after community enrichment among spring, summer, autumn and winter was observed and compared by using the target animal sampling method from January, 2014 to February, 2015. The results showed that the enrichment of the community increased the utilization of the habitats and trees of the Ailurus fulgens, and decreased the utilization of the inner rooms, bare ground and the nearby tourist areas. The maximum proportion of trees utilization was observed in summer, and the enrichment was increased by 11. 1%. The maximum ratio of habitats utilization was found in spring, and the enrichment was increased by 2. 8%. The highest ratio of the inner chamber utilization was observed in winter, and the utilization ratio of inner chamber was decreased by 8. 4% after enrichment, thus increasing the outdoor residence time of the Ailurus fulgens. After enrichment, the maximum utilization ratio of the bare ground was decreased by 3. 7%, and that of the nearby tourist area was decreased by 5. 6%. There were no changes in the highest utilization ratio of the six regions before and after enrichment. The highest was the tree utilization, and the lowest was the bare ground utilization.

Transporter associated with antigen processing (TAP) genes are located in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) region, and the dimers composed of TAP1 and TAP2 can transport the antigen peptide from cytoplasm into the endoplasmic reticulum cavity. Therefore, they play an important presentative role in an immune response. [Objective]To further reveal the effect of varied SNPs in TAP2 genes on their proteins structure, and to characterize their genetic variation in different chicken breeds. [Method]Target capture sequencing assay was used to determine the full length of TAP2 genes in 260 chicken individuals of 26 breeds. The multiple sequence alignment analysis among the obtained sequences of 26 chicken breeds was carried out using DNAMAN software to screen the locations and to determine the types of the SNPs in TAP2 genes in 26 chicken breeds. The impact of the SNPs in TAP2 genes on their corresponding proteins structure was predicted via bioinformatics software. The phylogenetic tree was established to assess the homology of TAP2 genes among different chicken breeds. [Result]The effective sequencing length of TAP2 gene was 3 037 bp. A total of 20 SNPs were observed in the 26 different chicken breeds, indicating a rich genetic diversity. Among them, 9 were found in exons and the remaining ones were located in introns. The effect of four SNPs (rs316795220, rs738706078, rs739725385 and rs732937653) on structure of the proteins encoded by them was characterized. [Conclusion]The TAP2 gene in chicken has rich genetic diversity, providing abundant original materials for further application of these germplasm resources of chickens. Our results give new insights into the studies on selection of candidate SNPs in TAP2 gene involved in antibody transportation function.

Bioactive peptides (BAP) are beneficial to the life activities of biological organisms. They are peptide compounds with relative molecular weight ranging from 50 to10 000 Da and have a series of physiological functions. BAP are easy to be digested and absorbed in human and animal bodies. In addition to antibacterial and antivirus actions, they display various biological activities such as blood pressure and cholesterol lowering, immunity enhancing and hormone regulating. Furthermore, BAP also play important roles in physiological regulation and biological metabolism. BAP have a great developmental prospect and have become a hot research topic in the field of food, feed production and biomedicine all over the world. In the future, the researches associated with BAP will focus on their high-efficient preparation and application, especially on their fermentation preparation. This article gave a detailed introduction of BAP from the aspects of research history, physiological function as well as preparation and application, and the future development of BAP was also prospected.

This study aimed to characterize the color change of dried chicken breast for pet food during production and storage, and to develop techniques that can effectively control the product quality problems associated with color change. A comparative test on color preservation efficacy of three antioxidants, including butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), citric acid and sodium pyrosulfite, during the storage process of dried chicken breast was conducted via three- factor quadratic general rotary unitized design method. The results of single factor test showed that the best color preservation performance was observed in BHT followed by sodium pyrosulfite, and that of citric acid was the worst; the compound test results demonstrated that the combination of 0. 02% BHT, 0. 10% citrate acid and 0. 05% sodium pyrosulfite displayed the best color preservation efficacy and could effectively alleviate the problem of color change during the production and storage of dried chicken breast for pet food.

In order to screen the high-yield and excellent-quality burclover (Medicago polymorpha) varieties suitable for Southern Henan Province, a comparative trial of three introduced burclover varieties of Xizhou, Chuxiong and Huaiyang was conducted. The growth period of the three tested varieties was observed, and their agronomic characteristics and nutritional components were determined. The results showed that the highest fresh grass yield, hay yield and crude protein content were simultaneously observed in the burclover variety of Huaiyang, which were 42. 44 t/hm², 8. 94 t/hm² and 17. 29%, respectively, and were all significantly (P<0. 05) higher than their counterparts of the other two burclover varieties. In conclusion, the burclover variety of Huaiyang had better performance in grass yield and quality in Southern Henan Province, indicating its good suitability and popularizing value in this region.

Investigating the response law of the main plant population and community characteristics of desert steppe to grazing use patterns can not only elucidate the change law of the plant community in desert steppe, but also can explore the change characteristics and rules of the main plant population as an important part of the desert steppe community. The combination of the above two aspects is conductive to grasp the variations in the structure and function of the plant community in desert steppe. In this study, the Stipa breviflora desert steppe in Sonid Right Banner of Inner Mongolia was used as the research object. A total of 6 grazing treatments were set up and arranged in random blocks (3 blocks, 3 repeats). The main plant population (Stipa breviflora, Cleistogenes songorica and Allium polyrhizum) as well as the height, coverage, density and existing stocks of the plant community were used as evaluating indicators to assess the relational order of the main plant populations and communities among different grazing treatments and grazing seasons by using optimal parent sequence correlation degree analysis. The results showed that the SA1 treatment mode of rest grazing in spring + heavy grazing in summer + moderate grazing in autumn was recommended as the first choice for sustainable grassland use, followed by the SA5 treatment mode of moderate grazing throughout the whole year. Furthermore, the optimal parent sequence correlation degree analysis method exhibited simplicity and convenience in grassland evaluation.

The severe shortage of excellent perennial forage varieties suitable for planting in Inner Mongolia is a crucial factor restricting the healthy development of grassland and animal husbandry as well as the income increasement of farmers and herdsmen. In order to solve this problem, the 'native plant breeding' method was used to collect seeds of wild Elymus sibiricus from Dahuabei in Baiyinhua Town of Urad Front Banner of Inner Mongolia; after artificial introduction and domestication, a new strain of Elymus sibiricus suitable for popularization and cultivation under the climatic conditions of Inner Mongolia with high ecological and economic value was obtained. In this study, the comparative analysis of seed morphology, water absorption and germination characteristics of the new strain of Elymus sibiricus was carried out using the wild Elymus sibiricus as a control. The results showed that the awn length and water uptake of the wild Elymus sibiricus were significantly (P<0. 05) higher than those of the new strain of Elymus sibiricus; the germination rate, germination potential, germination index and seed vigor of the new strain of Elymus sibiricus were significantly (P<0. 05) higher than those of the wild Elymus sibiricus; there was no significant difference in caryopsis length between the two varieties. After domestication, the awn length of the new strain of Elymus sibiricus became shorter and its germination ability became stronger, which made it more suitable for field planting and production.

Wannan black pig is one of the fine local pig breeds in China. It is a kind of meat and fat type pig breed formed by long-term breeding based on north China black pig in the southern mountainous area of Anhui Province. It is mainly distributed in Ningguo and Jixi of Xuancheng City. In recent years, due to the large-scale introduction of foreign pig varieties, the threat of pig epidemics and the operational difficulties of some pig varieties conservation enterprises, the population quantity of Wannan black pig has been shrinking year by year, and the excellent genes of this pig variety are at risk of loss. This paper summarizes the protection status of germplasm resources of Wannan black pig in southern Anhui Province. Furthermore, by analyzing the existing problems, we put forward the corresponding countermeasures for the conservation, development and utilization of Wannan black pig.

Hormone-sensitive triglyceride lipase (HSL) is the rate-limiting enzyme associated with lipolysis, and the expression of its coding gene HSL is also closely related to fat deposition. In this paper, we reviewed the molecular structure, expression regulation and polymorphism of HSL gene, in hoping to provide references for the further investigation on its structure and function.

In order to effectively improve the pregnant rate of ewes, this study developed a method to accurately determine the ovulatory time of small-tailed Han sheep in different reproductive periods by using a commercially available sheep ovulation detector. A total of 60 non-pregnant female small-tailed Han sheep 1. 5-3. 5 years of age (n=30) and 4-6 years of age (n=30) were selected, and the ovulation detector were used to determine and characterize the electrical resistance value of genital tract mucus of the ewes during estrous period. The results showed that the ewes 1. 5-3. 5 years of age had shorter duration of estrous period, and the increase and decrease of the electrical resistance value of genital tract mucus had dramatic variations; the ewes 4-6 years of age had longer duration of estrous period, with a rapid reduction and a zigzag ascent of electrical resistance value of genital tract mucus. By comparing the pregnant rate of ewes after artificial insemination with different ranges of electrical resistance value of genital tract mucus, it was found that the ewes 4-6 years of age had wider range of electrical resistance value of genital tract mucus acceptable for successful pregnancy, and in which the ewes 1. 5-3. 5 years of age had higher pregnant rate than that of the ewes 4-6 years of age. In conclusion, the electrical resistance value of genital tract mucus of the ewes with different ages had varied variation amplitude. Furthermore, the ovulation period in an estrous cycle could be determined when the electrical resistance value of genital tract mucus of the ewes drops to the lowest point and then entered a rising period, and insemination during this duration could obtain higher pregnant rate.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of microecological preparation on ammonia emission in pig house and growth performance of pigs. A 7-day-long verification test of two commercially available microecological preparations ('Yiweikang' and 'Ruierkang') for feed additive use and a commercially available microecological deodorant ('Ruierjia') for environmental use was conducted in a pig house (NO. 1). Subsequently, a formal test was carried out in the followed schedule. The basal diet of the fattening pigs in the experimental pig house (NO. 2) was supplemented with 5‰ 'Yiweikang' and 2. 5% 'Ruierkang'. Furthermore, the spray liquid of 'Ruierjia' was sprinkled in the body surface of the pigs and around the different regions of the experimental pig house (NO. 2). A control group (NO. 3 pig house) was also included in the formal test. The fattening pigs in the control pig house (NO. 3) were fed with basal diet without addition of the microecological preparation, and the control pig house received no deodorant treatment. The formal test lasted for 60 days. The results showed that compared to the control pig house (NO. 3), the ammonia concentration of the experimental pig house (NO. 2) was reduced to 5. 6 mg/kg at the 3^rd day of experiment, with a removal rate of 70. 05%; during the experimental period, the average daily gain of the fattening pigs in the experimental pig house (NO. 2) was elevated by 23. 79%, the daily feed consumption was increased by 4. 45%, the survival rate was 2 percentage points higher, and the feed/meat ratio was decreased by 15. 83%. In conclusion, dietary supplementation and spraying of the microecological preparations can effectively remove the ammonia in pig house and can promote the growth performance of pigs.

Cyclocarya paliurus is an unique and rare dicotyledonous plant in China, which is mainly distributed in regions south of the Yangtze river. Its roots, branches and leaves can be used as medicine. The current studies show that the main chemical constituents of Cyclocarya paliurus include polysaccharides, phenolic acids, flavonoids, triterpenoids and some inorganic elements. Moreover, a number of studies have revealed that Cyclocarya paliurus has various pharmacological actions, such as hypoglycemic and antihypertensive activity, weight reducing activity, anti-tumor activity, anti-aging activity, anti-allergy activity, summer-heat clearing activity, immunity improving activity and metabolism promoting activity. This paper reviews the research progress on chemical constituents and pharmacological actions of Cyclocarya paliurus, in hoping to provide references for the further development and utilization of this plant resource.

In this study, a total of 101 households managing animal husbandry production in Longren Township of Dangxiong County of Tibet were selected as survey objects to investigate the grassland resources, livestock breeding, supply and demand of herbage and livestock and family economic income by using household survey method in combination with on-the-spot observation. The results showed that there were outstanding problems in artificial grassland construction, grassland carrying capacity, herbage and livestock allocation, forage purchasing and storage and livestock breeding in this area. We proposed some corresponding countermeasures from the aspects of improving the yield and quality of artificial grass, prioritizing the development of seasonal animal husbandry, and targeted guiding new types of grass planting and livestock breeding techniques.

In view of the problems occurring in the teaching process of Herbivorous Animal Production, the course team has carried out a series of teaching reforms by improving the quality of teachers, optimizing teaching contents and methods, establishing practical teaching system and improving teaching assessment system. The results of practice show that the teaching reform can promote and stimulate students' learning interest and thirst for knowledge effectively, enhance students' ability to master theoretical knowledge and practical operation, promote the effective integration of teaching, learning and examination, and improve the teaching quality of the whole course obviously.

To increase the studying burden of undergraduates to a reasonable extent is an important part of national undergraduate education work in the new era. In this context, it is necessary for universities to carry out teaching reform in the framework of the existing specialized courses system. In this paper, some teaching reform measures of Animal Physiology were proposed such as innovating the theoretical and experimental teaching methods and means, increasing the course training intensity, enriching the course training form, and strengthening the supervision of the routine learning process. Furthermore, the degree of difficulty and depth of the teaching contents of this course are expected to be increased moderately, in hoping to improve the teaching quality and efficiency of Animal Physiology and the comprehensive quality of undergraduates.

Animal Physiology Experiment is an independently set course with strong practicality, which is a compulsory basic course for the specialties of animal science and veterinary medicine. One of the important teaching goals of Animal Physiology Experiment is to make undergraduates obtain solid basic knowledge and good practical skills. In order to help undergraduates better master the knowledge and skill of Animal Physiology Experiment, a timely and reasonable teaching reform is urgent. This paper briefly introduced the present teaching situation of Animal Physiology Experimenttaught by traditional method. In addition, we carried out the teaching reform of this course by optimizing the current teaching mode and corresponding evaluation mechanism, teaching undergraduates in accordance with their aptitude, applying grading and classification teaching method, in hoping to consolidate the undergraduates' theoretical knowledge, to enhance their mastery of the basic experimental skills, and to improve their practical innovation ability and comprehensive quality.

In the field of life science research, both of experimental animals and animal experiments play a very important role. In order to improve the training of undergraduates' animal experimental skills to meet the needs of employment, combining the teaching methods of Australian universities, we adjusted and improved the theoretical and experimental teaching content and methods of Experimental Animal Technology for relevant majors in College of Animal Science and Technology, Jilin Agricultural Science and Technology College. The 'student-oriented' teaching idea was emphasized, and the group cooperation and problem-oriented teaching model was employed in theoretical teaching; the experimental teaching aimed to improve the undergraduates' animal experimental skills by using the project method in combination with the teacher's scientific research. Various teaching methods were integrated to improve the teaching efficiency, in hoping to improve the undergraduates' animal experimental skills, scientific and technological innovation ability and employment competitiveness.

Animal Husbandry Microbiology is an important professional basic course for undergraduates majoring in animal science in South China Agricultural University. In view of the existing problems such as complicated knowledge points, low participation of undergraduates in classroom interaction and poor learning effect of this course, a series of teaching reforms have been carried out in terms of curriculum setting, teaching content, teaching mode and assessment methods. The practical results show that through teaching reform, the undergradutes' enthusiasm for learning and classroom participation are effectively motivated, and the teaching quality of the entire course is significantly improved.

Production practice is a practical teaching link to improve students' comprehensive quality. Since the cooperative construction of practice base between universities and enterprises, we had continuously studied and improved the teaching mode of production practice. Targeting at the innovative and entrepreneurial talents training, the methods and contents of the Cattle Production Practice had been perfected and practiced, and participation in the whole process of cattle production was the orientation. The Cattle Production Practice was divided into the following four parts of teaching practice, production practice, scientific research practice and interest practice by using open teaching idea and means. The open mode based practical methods with modularization obviously stimulated the interests of students in practice, enhanced their professional practical capacity, and improved their ability to observe and solve problems.

This study aimed to assess the effects of dietary supplementation of alfalfa straw and enzyme preparation on ethology and reproductive performance of sows, and to explore the feeding technique that can reduce the incidence of abnormal behavior and improve reproductive performance of sows. A total of 45 multiparous binary hybrid sows with similar mating time, parities and physical condition were randomly assigned into the following 3 groups: the experimental groupⅠ(n=15) was fed with a supplementary diet of alfalfa straw pulping of 2 kg per head per day after the concentrate feeding; the experimental groupⅡ(n=15) received the supplementation of alfalfa straw powder of 0. 5 kg per head per day in basal diet; both of the experimental groups received an addition of a commercially available enzyme preparation ('Youlimei') of 1 kg/t in their basal diet; the control group (n=15) was fed with a basal diet without addition of alfalfa straw and enzyme preparation. The experimental period lasted for 4 months. During the whole experiment, the incidence of stereotypic behavior and constipation of the sows in different groups was observed and recorded, and the indicators associated with reproductive performance were determined. The results showed that in the every single observed months of the whole experimental period, the incidence of stereotypic behavior and constipation of the sows in experimental groupⅠand Ⅱ was significantly (P<0. 05) decreased compared to that in control group; while the experimental groupⅠhad lower incidence of stereotypic behavior and constipation compared to the experimental group Ⅱ, no significant difference was observed (P>0. 05); significantly (P<0. 05) elevated average live litter size and within-litter birth weight of piglets as well as significantly (P<0. 05) shortened inter oestrual period of sows were observed in experimental groupⅠand Ⅱ compared to the control group, respectively; there were no significant differences in reproductive performance indicators between experimental groupⅠand Ⅱ (P>0. 05). The combined data suggest that dietary supplementation of alfalfa straw pulping (2 kg per head per day) or straw powder (0. 5 kg per head per day) simultaneously with enzyme preparation (1 kg/t) can significantly decrease the incidence of stereotypic behavior and constipation of the sows, and can significantly improve their reproductive performance.

This study aimed to determine the pathogenic bacteria causing the calf diarrhea in a beef cattle farm in northwestern Hunan Province, and to characterize their antimicrobial resistance profile. The pathogenic bacterial strains were isolated and identified by using routine culture method, Gram's stain method, microscopic examination and biochemical reaction tests. Antimicrobial susceptibility test of the isolates was performed by Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method. The results showed that the dominant causative agents associated with the calf diarrhea in this beef cattle farm were identified as Escherichia coli(E. coli); the E. coli clinical isolates were sensitive to cefoperazone, cefazolin, minocycline and ceftriaxone, moderately sensitive to cefuroxime and ceftazidime, and resistant to 22 kinds of antimicrobial agents, including cephalexin, piperacillin, erythromycin, vancomycin, doxycycline, etc. The isolated E. coli strains exhibited resistance to various antibacterial drugs, and our results provided an effective basis for scientific diagnosis and treatment of calf diarrhea.

Infectious coryza (IC) of chickens, a severe upper respiratory infectious disease, is caused by the infection of Avibacterium paragallinarum. With the changes of breeding environment, there are increasing difficulties in prevention and control of IC. Vaccination has become one of the most commonly used ways for IC prevention. The existing inactivated IC vaccines have the advantages of convenient employment, but also have the disadvantages of severe stress and deficient efficacy. Several commonly used vaccines, future vaccine development and preventive strategies of IC were summarized in this paper, in hoping to provide theoretical guidance for better prevention and control of this disease.

Mastitis is one of the most frequently observed diseases in dairy cow farms. This disease has a high incidence in cattle herds and always brings huge economic losses to dairy cow breeding industry. The localized inflammation caused by the invasion of pathogenic microorganisms into mammary gland tissues always results in dairy cow mastitis, which not only reduces the milk production but also affect the quality of milk. There is vital clinical significance for prevention and control of this disease due to the clinical therapy associated veterinary drug residues and unsatisfied curative rate caused by infection of certain species of pathogenic microorganisms. The research progress on dairy cow mastitis was reviewed from the aspects of pathogenic bacteria species, pathogenic mechanism, diagnostic methods and control measures, in hoping to provide references for the scientific prevention and control of this disease.

[Objective]To verify the practicability of genotyping method for the confirmation of atypical Brucella strains, and to provide reference for the discriminative identification of the atypical ones. [Method]The both conventional identification methods and VITEK 2. 0 automatic bacteria identification analysis system were used to carry out the preliminary identification of the clinical Brucella strains from sheep. AMOS-PCR was applied to discriminate the species of the strains. The genotype of the tested strains were determined by using MLVA assay. [Result]Conventional identification results showed that the three tested isolates were Brucella-suspected strains; VITEK 2. 0 automatic bacteria identification analysis system confirmed that the tested strains all belonged to Brucella genus; AMOS-PCR amplification showed that the strains were Brucella melitensis(B. melitensis); MLVA cluster analysis revealed that the tested strains were close with B. melitensis biovar 2 and belonged to Eastern Mediterranean lineages; a new genotype (4-4-3-7-5) was found in the Panel 2B and was designated as CN2B-45. [Conclusion]MLVA assay has excellent discriminative power for atypical Brucella strain and is the best strategy for identification of atypical Brucella strain.