Ninety-six 14-d-old male broiler chicks were divided into three dietary groups and fed a corn-soybean meal diet, a barley diet with beta-glucanase and that diet without beta-glucanase. All diets contained 4 g cholesterol/kg. Average daily body weight gain, plasma total cholesterol concentration, LDL cholesterol concentration and digestibility of lipids and protein were lowest (P < 0.05) in the chicks fed the barley diet without beta-glucanase and highest (P < 0.05) in the chicks fed corn-soybean meal diet. Supplementation of the barley diet with beta-glucanase resulted in greater (P < 0.05) average daily weight gain, plasma total and LDL cholesterol concentrations and digestibility of lipids. Viscosity of small intestinal digesta was greatest in chicks fed barley, lowest in those fed the corn-soybean diet and intermediate in chicks fed enzyme-treated barley. Significant (P < 0.01) negative correlations occurred between viscosity of the small intestinal contents and average daily weight gain, plasma total and LDL cholesterol concentrations, and digestibility of lipids and protein. A lower concentration of insoluble beta-glucans in small intestinal digesta of the chicks fed barley supplemented with beta-glucanase compared with the chicks fed the unsupplemented barley diet reflects hydrolytic activity of the supplemental beta-glucanase in the diet.

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Barley oil was extracted with hexane from the grain of a high oil waxy hull-less barley. Twelve male broiler chicks were fed corn-based diets with either 10% barley oil, 10% corn oil or 10% margarine ad libitum for ten days. Total plasma cholesterol concentration of the chicks fed barley oil was 34% lower (p < 0.05) than that of the chicks fed margarine. Plasma low density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration of chicks fed barley oil was 53% and 59% lower (p < 0.05) than those of chicks fed corn oil and margarine, respectively. Plasma high density lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride concentration of the barley oil group were similar to those of the margarine but higher (p < 0.05) than those of the corn oil group. Chicks fed the barley oil gained more (p < 0.05) body weight than those fed the corn oil and margarine. Barley oil had an effect in suppression of TC and LDLC in chicks compared to margarine. Barley oil suppressed LDLC but not HDLC in chicks compared to corn oil. A greater weight gain of the chicks fed barley oil suggested that these chicks had normally functioning digestion and absorption. alpha-Tocotrienol and gamma-tocotrienol content of the barley oil were 24 and 17 times greater, respectively, than those observed in the corn oil, while the same fractions were not detectable in the margarine. Polyunsaturated fatty acid content of the barley oil was more than threefold that of margarine. These data suggest that alpha-tocotrienol and polyunsaturated fatty acids are hypocholesterolemic components in barley oil.

Based on the synergistic control of greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution, a co-benefits indicator system was established to evaluate the co-benefits of city policies for megacities with regard to energy conservation and environmental sustainability. Shanghai was chosen as a typical case study, owing to its relatively high level of progress in terms of urbanization and its complex economic, social, and ecological development problems. In this indicator system, 23 indicators were screened, based on the driver-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) framework. Economic, social, and ecological development data for Shanghai from 2005 to 2018 were collected and analyzed using an entropy method. This was followed by the application of a weighted average method to determine the indicator weights and co-benefits index (CBI) for Shanghai. The results yield variations in the weights of the indexes. The weight of the tertiary industry production proportion in the GDP was the highest, owing to the government promotional policies, whereas the weight of the annual average temperature was the smallest, as global warming only becomes significant when the time span is much longer. In such a short time span (i.e., 14years), the change in the annual average temperature is relatively insignificant. The Co-benefit Index also varied over time; it showed a growing trend over the 14 years, increasing from 0.375 in 2005 to 1.365 in 2018, i.e., a 264% increase. This indicates that the efforts taken in Shanghai and their effects were positive, overall. Four suggestions were proposed, based on the results of the analysis: a) control the amount of total energy consumption and change the energy structure to reduce carbon and air pollution emissions; b) adjust the structure of industry, especially by increasing the proportion of tertiary industries; c) increase investments in environmental protection; and d) cooperate with regional partners to limit the occurrence of acid rain. The applicability of this approach and research prospects are also discussed.