To determine values for the digestible indispensable amino acid score (DIAAS), it is recommended that ileal amino acid (AA) digestibility values obtained in growing pigs are used to characterise protein quality in different foods. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to determine the standardised ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in eight energy ingredients (barley, sorghum, wheat, brown rice, rice bran, wheat bran, cassava and paddy rice) fed to pigs, where SID values in pigs can be used to calculate approximate DIAAS values in humans. Among the data obtained for all energy ingredients, significant variations (P < 0·01) in CP and AA composition were observed. Rice bran and wheat bran had the highest CP (16·43 % and 18·16 %, respectively) and DIAAS scores of 81–88 for adult, qualifying as ‘good’ protein sources (> 75). Cassava, with the lowest CP (2·74 %), was limited by sulphur amino acid (54). Lysine (Lys) was the first-limiting AA in barley (74), sorghum (51) and wheat (49), with SID values lowest in wheat (71·04 %). Brown rice and paddy rice showed higher SIDLys (87·51 % and 78·13 %, respectively). These findings highlight the potential of bran-based ingredients and Lys fortification to improve protein quality in grain-dependent diets, providing the scientific basis to combat protein malnutrition.

This article discusses the concepts of public order and good morals in the Chinese Civil Code. Under Article 153 of the Civil Code, a civil juristic act is rendered void if it violates these concepts. This article examines their substance, functions, and practical significance in determining the invalidity of civil juristic acts in Chinese civil law. Public order refers to interests relating to national security and matters fundamental to the social public order, and good morals refers to virtuous customs representing social morality, family ethics, and personal dignity. It is argued that the nuances of the concepts are purposeful, but they must be wielded by the judiciary with objectivity and precision. It shows, comparatively, that in Chinese jurisprudence, the concepts of public order and good morals are intended to be applied flexibly and are widely accepted as capable of addressing areas where the law remains underdeveloped. Chinese courts are therefore tasked with achieving justice for litigants in each case and social justice at the same time without compromising private autonomy. In the final analysis, these concepts can be viewed as part of a broader commitment to ensuring the law operates in line with social changes and continues to garner public support for the judicial system.

This paper offers a unified analysis of the postmodal meanings of should and would. It proposes a semantic-pragmatic account based on how these modals function in contexts that yield mirative interpretations. The analysis begins with their use in content clauses under factive predicates and then examines a parallel use in why-interrogatives. It also explains why only would can produce a mirative reading in the assertive equative construction ‘That Would Be X’. The paper argues that these mirative extensions arise from the speaker’s knowledge state and their assumptions about the addressee’s expectations. The postmodal domain is therefore shaped by pragmatic strengthening within patterns that still preserve aspects of the modals’ core semantics. The shift from modality to postmodality marks a move toward the illocutionary level. However, this domain is not uniform: postmodal meanings may represent either the endpoint of grammaticalisation or the emergence of new discourse functions through constructionalisation, as in the TWBX construction.

Durante la Primera Globalización en América Latina, el Estado uruguayo fue un caso excepcional en la región debido a sus elevados niveles de recaudación y gasto público per cápita. Este artículo examina la construcción histórica de capacidades fiscales en Uruguay entre 1852 y 1913 a través de la reconstrucción de series de ingresos y gastos estatales, basadas en fuentes primarias oficiales. Sobre la base de una estructura tributaria reducida, el Estado encontró en el comercio exterior su principal sustento económico, lo cual posibilitó el establecimiento de una oferta de bienes públicos concentrada en funciones estatales primarias. A partir del último cuarto del siglo xix, logró incrementar la recaudación directa y expandir el gasto público en funciones secundarias.

The aim of this study was to develop a fermented dairy beverage based on buttermilk, enriched with prebiotic fibre and supplemented with protein, and to evaluate its physicochemical and microbiological properties. Four treatments were formulated: control (T1), inulin (T2), whey protein (T3), and inulin plus whey protein (T4). During 36 days of refrigerated storage, pH, titratable acidity, syneresis, protein content, lactic acid bacteria count, and rheological behaviour were evaluated. Treatments T1 and T2 exhibited minimal differences across all parameters, confirming the feasibility of adding inulin to dairy beverages without altering their characteristics. Treatments T3 and T4 showed significant differences in all parameters except microbial counts, displaying higher pH, titratable acidity, protein content, and viscosity, and lower syneresis, highlighting the influence of protein supplementation on product properties. Overall, the results demonstrated that the use of buttermilk to produce dairy beverages is promising and may lead to a new variety of healthy products for consumption.

The immunomodulatory effects of Ziziphus jujuba Mill. fruit extracts were investigated using Galleria mellonella as an insect immune model. The expression of antimicrobial peptides, hemolin, phenoloxidase genes (PO-I and PO-II), and enzyme activity was measured in response to Candida albicans, silica beads, and Z. jujuba fruit extract. Responses were found to be stimulus- and time-dependent. Gallerimycin and galiomycin, key antimicrobial peptides, exhibited distinct expression patterns, with gallerimycin showing a more pronounced response to pathogens and beads. The Z. jujuba extract stimulated an early but balanced immune activation, likely due to its bioactive compounds. Hemolin expression varied between larvae and haemocytes depending on the type and duration of the challenge, supporting its role in immune recognition and opsonisation. Phenoloxidase activity and gene expression were also enhanced, supporting their role in promoting melanisation processes. Docking analyses suggested that hemolin contributes to phenoloxidase activation by stabilising PO-I and interacting with the phenoloxidase-activating factor-1-like protein (PAP1). The findings suggest that Z. jujuba extract effectively modulates immune responses, promoting enhanced protection while maintaining immune balance. GC-MS analysis revealed multiple bioactive compounds potentially contributing to immune modulation. This study highlights the significant immunomodulatory effects of Z. jujuba fruit extract on the immune system of G. mellonella. The findings suggest its potential as a natural immunostimulant and warrant further investigation of the underlying molecular mechanisms and bioactive components.

Mastitis management in automatic milking systems (AMS) is challenging, as detection of clinical signs relies on sensors. Treatment recommendations for clinical mastitis (CM) advise conducting microbiological cultures of the infected quarter whenever possible to guide therapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the association between the use of a rapid diagnostic mastitis pathogen chromogenic culture test on the CM case duration and the probability of more than one treatment before cure. A total of 106 CM cases from 65 dairy cows housed in a freestall AMS barn were retrospectively analysed: 25 treated according to chromogenic culture results and 81 without pathogen identification. All cases were pre-identified using AMS-derived milk parameters, confirmed through veterinary examination, and followed by weekly veterinary examinations until cure. Generalized mixed linear models were used to assess the association between chromogenic culture use and the outcomes, with confounders included as covariates. The use of a chromogenic culture reduced mastitis case duration by 2.78 ± 1.26 days compared to treatment without chromogenic culture. There was no effect on the likelihood of affected cows receiving more than one treatment for CM. The use of a chromogenic culture reduced CM time-to-cure in an AMS freestall dairy herd.

The concept of mercy is often proposed as an antidote to the punitive excesses of our current criminal justice system. But this concept is typically presented in generalized, abstract terms that seem unworkable as a pragmatic decision strategy. Its religious origins and associations only add to this impression. In fact, however, if the biblical accounts of mercy are interpreted using the narrative strategy that is featured in current scholarship, an eminently practical decision protocol emerges from these accounts. This protocol diverges from the common or popular view of mercy. It omits the demand for contrition or gratitude on the part of the wrongdoer, viewing this as an effort to exercise domination rather than extending mercy, and minimizes compassion on the part of the decision maker due to its tendency to merge into favoritism. Instead, the protocol recommends that the decision maker deal with the wrongdoer on a direct personal level, suppress any emotional responses such as anger or indignation, and consider the collateral consequences of the proposed punishment. The author describes the way the protocol can be derived from leading biblical narratives about mercy, including the expulsion from the garden, the mark of Cain, Christ and the adulteress, and the prodigal son. He expands on this derivation by analyzing the book of Jonah, rejecting the common view that this work is a satire and treating it instead as a profound inquiry into the nature of mercy. He concludes by applying the protocol he has derived to policy level decisions in the criminal justice system, specifically judicial sentencing, administrative parole and the use of restorative justice.