Black Bird Research Articles

Phenotypic characterization of Satu Mare Tumbler pigeon breed

The aim of this study was to determine morphological characteristics of the tumbler pigeon breed of Satu Mare. This pigeon breed was first described in 1932 and was very close to extinction at the end of the 20th century. Data collection was carried out in two stocks having birds from three breeders (Bertalan Juhos, Cosmin Lupu and Werner Hartmann) in Satu Mare. In addition to the breeder, sex and color variety were also evaluated. The performed conformation measurements were statistically compared using multifactor analysis of variance. Lupu’s birds were longer compared to other breeder’s stock, while beak and wing was longer in Juhos’s stock. Thoracic perimeter was smaller whereas queue length was the longer for Juhos’s birds. Cocks’ values were significantly exceeding values of hens, except beak length. Recessive red pigeons had longer body than blue birds. Beak length of recessive yellow pigeons was significantly longer that it was computed for black birds. Wingspan was longer for dun birds than it was estimated for recessive yellow pigeons. These differences show that there is reasonable genetic variability in the breed which is desired in small populations. Due to the variability within the breed, stabilising selection might be favorable, with a special account for avoiding inbreeding.

PSVII-5 Heat shock protein 70 gene expression and association with morphometric and heat tolerance traits in three plumage colors of Noiler chicken exposed to acute heat stress

Abstract Heat stress is one of the most difficult climatic conditions chickens faces and is a direct result of climate change. It is important to research poultry thermotolerance because it may help find genetic lines resistant to heat stress. This study investigated the influence of plumage colors on heat shock protein 70 gene expression in Noiler chickens exposed to acute heat stress. Noiler is a dual-purpose breed developed for smallholder poultry production in Nigeria. A total of 150 birds of three plumage colors (black, brown and white) of mixed sexes were used for the experiment. The birds were raised in deep litter house separated into six groups of 25 birds each and fed with commercial broiler diets from 0-8 wk and broiler finisher diets from 8 to 12 wk old. The birds were shared into treatments in 3 x 2 x 2 factorial arrangements with 3 plumage colors (black, brown, white), two temperature regimens (Control/thermoneutral, Heat stress) and sex of birds (male, female). The heat stressed birds were exposed to 41oC for 8 h from 0600 h to 1400 h for 7 d while control group maintained a thermoneutral temperature range of 30 oC to 32 oC for the same period. At 13 wk old, two birds were selected per treatment, slaughtered and the spleen removed and stored in RNA later for heat shock protein (HSP) 70 gene expression. Data collected were analyzed with Microsoft excel code for fold expression of HSP70 gene while GLM procedure in SAS was used to determine difference in expression of gene. The relative expression of HSP70 brown plumage was greater, upregulated compared with black and white. White plumage birds in control/thermoneutral group were significantly greater in HSP70 expression than other plumage colors and heat stressed birds. Association of HSP70 delta threshold cycle (DCT) values with morphometric and heat tolerance traits were investigated (Figure 1). High negative correlations emerged between HSP70DCT expression and body weight (-0.65), body temperature (-0.73) with moderate positive correlation for rectal temperature (0.55) in black birds (Table 1). HSP70 DCT positively correlated with body weight (0.70), breast/leg circumferences but negatively with wing length, suggesting reduced surface area during heat stress and a supportive role in maintaining protein integrity (Figure 2). For white Noiler birds, HSP70DCT associated negatively with body weight (-0.94) and positively with rectal temperature during heat stress (Table 2). Thermoneutral birds were positively correlated with heat tolerance traits except temperature while heat stressed birds showed low positive correlation with respiratory and pulse rates and very low positive relationship with body and rectal temperatures (Table 4). Sex-based differences emerged, with potential compromise between HSP70-mediated growth/composition in males versus muscle maintenance in females, although leg length/circumference showed shared developmental regulation (Figure 3, Table 3). These findings highlight HSP70’s versatile roles in systemic heat tolerance mechanisms influenced by plumage color, temperature regime and sex.

Cultural Alienation and Identity Crises in Anita Desai's "Bye-bye Black Bird"

The quest for identity and alienation are the central concerns of Anita Desai's works. She has tendency to look into every aspect of a person's life. In her book Bye Bye Blackbird, Anita Desai explores the lives of Indian immigrants in England before to 1964, the year in which England fundamentally altered its immigration laws. Particularly Indians flying to England are the Blackbirds. The world of three people who are limited by their identities is explored in Bye Bye Blackbird, along with how they must discover who they really are. Three characters -- Adit, Sarah, and Dev takes Centre stage in the story. Adit and Sarah have a greater attraction to India following their terrible events in England, and the narrative exposes their true crises as they struggle to create their own lives in a foreign place. Dev, who had first expressed some sort of hatred towards England, has since come to regard it as his home. This paper critically examines the loss of identity and cultural alienation with reference to the Novel “Bye- Bye Black Bird".

Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros (review)

Reviewed by: Ring of Solomon by Aden Polydoros Sarah Sahn Polydoros, Aden Ring of Solomon. Inkyard, 2023 [256p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781335428639 $18.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9780369722614 $9.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R* Gr. 4-7 When twelve-year-old Zach and his younger sister find a gold ring embossed with a Star of David at their local flea market, they know it'll be the perfect birthday gift for their mom, who loves to collect anything related to her Jewish heritage. It's not just any ring, however—Zach discovers that when he's touching it, he can talk to animals, and then a strange boy appears who identifies himself as Ashmedai, king of demons in Jewish folklore. Ash is on board to help Zach exact some payback on his bully Jeffrey, whose homophobic, racist, and antiSemitic harassment has made the seventh grade a living hell for Zach and his best friend Sandra. Other people are after the ring too, though, for considerably more sinister aims, and soon Zach, Sandra, and Ash are racing to avert the apocalypse. For all its action, this coming-of-age adventure stays close to home, centering on Zach's negotiation of his Jewish and gay identities and his growing friendship with Ash, who is by turns inscrutable as a thousands-years-old demon king and naïve and vulnerable like his [End Page 264] preteen counterpart. Zach's first-person narration veers between introspection and humor as he helps Ash try to navigate the modern world. Readers will only want to dive deeper into Ash and Zach's story and the world they inhabit—it's a good thing this is the opener to a planned trilogy. While they wait, Lamb's When the Angels Left the Old Country (BCCB 11/22) and Pasternack's Black Bird, Blue Road (BCCB 10/22) offer other recent incarnations of Jewish demons. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Effect of plumage colour and breeding system on the reproductive traits of brown and black quail

This study was conducted in the farm of the Department of Animal Production, college of Agriculture –Tikrit University for the duration of 19/11/2021 to 23/12/2021. The aim this to study the effect of colour plumage and breeding system on the traits reproductive of Japanese quail Use in this experiment 180 A quail bird of age 21 Days were divided into two groups according to the colour of plumage 90 brown bird and 90 Black birds, each group divided that was raised in two breeding systems (batteries and floor). each breeding systems Contain 45 bird and is divided into three replicates, each replicate contains 15 the bird, and the sex ratio was used 2:1. The results showed no significant effect of plumage color and breeding system on the hatchability from total eggs, hatchability from fertilized eggs, fertility rate, embryonic mortality, superiority of brown quails over blacks in the weight of the first egg, while black quails outperformed brown ones in weight at maturity sexual.

Carnival and the Theme of Migration

Carnival and the Theme of Migration

Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack

Black Bird, Blue Road by Sofiya Pasternack

MONIZA ALVI’S DIASPORIC SENSIBILITY IN CONSTRUCTING GENDER IN SPLIT WORLD POEMS AND BLACK BIRD BYE BYE

Dislocation form a foremost concern for all the colonized indigenous people, acting as a model for the phenomenon of diaspora. This results not just in cultural assignation but cultural rotation as well. The research derives guide from Ashcroft, Tiffin and Grifith’s seminal work, The Empire Writes Back in examining how dislocation from a place creates concerns concerning identity and authenticity on the behalf of the writer in question. This particular methodology emphasizes on the appropriateness of an external language for the description of indigenous people in postcolonial diaspora literature. Krippendorff’s textual analysis method, “Content Analysis” is used to explore and collect the themes in relativeness to women, men and place from the poetic works of Moniza Alvi along with a postcolonial theory in the background. The present study discusses how Moniza Alvi’s diasporic sensibility discursively constructs indigenous female in the Split World Poems and male in Black Bird Bye Bye, respectively. Keywords: diaspora, discursive, indigenous, place, gender, postcolonial.

The making and screening of independent films in the absence of radical Revolution: An interview with Augustine Mok Chiu-yu on social movements, technology, and censorship

This is a wide-ranging interview with Augustine Mok Chiu-yu. It focuses on topics including film exhibition in Hong Kong of political films from across the globe and the making of independent and experimental cinema in Hong Kong. This contributes to an assessment of Hong Kong left-wing cinema in the 1970s that transcends and moves beyond the limiting boundaries of the US-Soviet Union Cold War discourse. Mok discusses his own role and history in producing and screening of progressive films in Hong Kong during this period. Augustine Mok Chiu-yu was a founding member of The 70’s Biweekly, an independent youth magazine first published on the first day of 1970. He was a social/political activist in The 70’s but he became more a cultural activist involved in writings and cultural work in subsequent years. He moved into theatre, performance art and community cultural development work and has performed in the US, UK, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Kathmandu, Bangla Desh, Myanmar Republic, South Korea etc. He has organized many cross-cultural projects that toured in Asia and Europe. He won the first ever Award for Theatre of the Hong Kong Arts Development Council for the year 1998 and has been a great promoter in arts and disability, community arts and community cultural development in Hong Kong. He helped to found the Hong Kong International Deaf Film Festival and has been its hearing organizer for the 12 editions of the Festival. He was the producer of the 35 mm film entitled An Open Letter to Hong Kong’s Literary Youth and the documentary Black Bird - A Living Song. He has acted in Life and Times of Ng Chung Yin (Evans Chan), Ordinary Heroes (Ann Hui), Port Unknown (Mamunur Rashid), and N+N (Mo Lai).

Pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone-tazobactam (8:1) combination in healthy and Escherichia coli induced diarrhoeic birds.

Antibiotic-resistant Escherichia coli infection of poultry causes significant economic losses. Extended spectrum β lactamases (ESBL) producing E. coli was inoculated in a broiler, Rhode Island Red and Haringhata Black birds orally at 56×108 c.f.u. mL-1 for induction of diarrhoea. Pharmacokinetics of ceftriaxone-tazobactam combination (8:1) was studied following a single intramuscular injection at 28.125 mg kg-1 and the combination was administered twice daily to treat such infection. Plasma concentration of both ceftriaxone persisted up to 8 h in experimental birds and maintained an approximate ratio of 8:1 with tazobactam for a period of 2 h, 0.25 h and 0.75 h, respectively in a broiler, Rhode Island Red and Haringhata Black birds. The Kel was significantly lower in all experimental birds compared to healthy birds. Efficacy study was conducted in diarrhoeic birds by administration of ceftriaxone-tazobactam combination at 28.125 mg kg-1 body weight twice daily intramuscularly for three days which caused an increase in specific antibody titre in the broiler on 5th day and in Rhode Island Red birds 10th day. However, Haringhata black birds were inherently showed more resistance towards the infection. The combination of ceftriaxone and tazobactam in the ratio of 8:1 can be an effective treatment to combat ESBL producing E. coli infections.

Structure and Characteristics of Plant-Frugivore Network in an Urban Park: A Case Study in Nanjing Botanical Garden Mem. Sun Yat-Sen

Interaction between animals and plants is an important way to maintain terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem function, but little is known about the structure of reciprocal networks between fruit plants and frugivore birds in urban habitats. To explore the characteristics of the plant–frugivore network and network roles of species, we observed the fruit ripening phenology of 21 species of fruit plants and the interactions between these plants and 39 species of frugivore birds during the whole year in a large urban park. Then, we assessed the characteristics of the total plant–frugivore and seasonal networks, and analyzed the network roles of species and the relationship between their network roles and ecological traits. Fruit ripened mainly in autumn and winter, and interaction connections in the two seasons contributed 39.68% and 44.83% to the total network, respectively. The specialization (H2′), connectance (C), nestedness, and interaction evenness (eH2) of the network were lower in autumn and winter, while the interaction diversity was higher. Compared with the networks (N = 1000) generated by the null model, the observed network exhibited higher nestedness and interaction diversity (E2) and lower specialization (H2′), connectance (C), and interaction evenness (eH2). A correlation analysis combining ecological traits and network roles showed that plants with black fruit had higher effective partners and partner diversity, while other traits of plants and birds were not significantly correlated with their network parameters. The important plants (N = 6) and birds (N = 3) contributed to 71.78% and 67.55% of the total network connection, they were mainly evergreen plants with black and red drupes and omnivorous generalist birds with medium and large sizes. Our research highlighted the seasonal differences in urban plant–frugivore network and the value of important species in maintaining network structures and providing ecosystem services.

Black Bird Attack: A Vital Threat to Blockchain Technology

Blockchain technology has made significant success, but it is also vulnerable for cyberattacks. As a particular form of attacks, Black Bird 51% hash rate attack has not been studied in depth, and it deserves particular attention. It is important to analyze its core construction, origin, and perniciousness. Black Bird Attack (BBA) could jeopardize a decentralized system more than centralized one, because centralized system has higher priority to control the dataflow than its users, whereas decentralized systems are vulnerable to attack, since everyone has almost the same privilege. Black Bird Attack can potentially destroy the fairness of blockchain networks. With this in mind, we have built a blockchain network simulation to examine this form of attacks, as presented in a detailed case study. This case study demonstrates Black Bird Attack is completely possible. Since Black Bird 51% hash rate attack is particularly dangerous in the post-quantum computing era, an intensive research agenda on this topic is in urgent need.

Using BAR Switch to Prevent Black Bird Embedded Double Spending Attack

Blockchain technology has made significant success, but it is also vulnerable for cyberattacks. A particular form of attack is black bird embedded double spending attack. In our previous research we have proposed block access restriction (BAR) switch to deal with the threat of double spending attack (DSA) in blockchain systems. In this paper we continue our work and present the research of extending the basic BAR switch mechanism to prevent DSA in which black birds are embedded. We will refer this kind of attacks as black bird embedded double spending attack (BBEDSA). We discuss main considerations of how to extend basic BAR mechanism to handle BBEDSA and describe detailed steps of using this mechanism.

DIALOGICAL POETRY OF ILYA KORMILTSEV (“BLACK BIRDS”)

DIALOGICAL POETRY OF ILYA KORMILTSEV (“BLACK BIRDS”)

MARITAL MALADJUSTMENT AND DISPOSITION IN ANITA DESAI’S ‘BYE-BYE BLACK BIRD’

Literature is one of the most prevailing and ancient ways of understanding life as well as the world. Especially women and literature are clearly related to each other because women writings revealed the true state of society and its treatment of women. Unlike other writers Anita Desai didn't use conventional and not influenced by folk tales, myths and epics but presented her novels in realistic manner by adapting current problems related to woman-man relationship, cultural conflicts, disposition, mangled psyche and marital maladjustment. Bye- Bye Black bird is such a novel. The story deals with two main characters Dev and Adit in London. Adit an Anglophile turns into a hopeless nostalgic returnee and Dev an Anglophobe turns into a hopeful Anglicized inhabitant of London. Sarah, an English woman, moves away from her parents and marries Adit. The Conflict idea between the Indianess of Adit and Sarah’s own Western self runs in her mind throughout the novel. This paper mainly aims to analyze marital maladjustment in Anita Desai’s Bye- Bye Black Bird."

Associations between plumage colour and fear behaviour in young Nigerian indigenous turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo)

The effects of plumage colour on different behaviours have been reported in several avian species, but there are only few studies for Nigerian indigenous turkeys (NIT). Fear is a negative affective state that is indicative of suffering and associated with adverse effects on welfare and productivity of livestock species. This study compared fear behaviours in NIT with different plumage colours during early life (first 16 days of life). Seventy-five birds (25 each of white, black and lavender) were used in this study. The three colour phenotypes were derived from the same genetic line. Tonic immobility, emergence, open field, inversion and attention bias tests were done at 7, 9, 12, 14 and 16 days old, respectively. Data were analysed with Kruskal-Wallis tests. The durations of tonic immobility and freezing during the attention bias test were not significantly associated with plumage colour (χ2 =1.7592, df=2, p = 0.42 and χ2 =3.9421, df=2, p = 0.14, respectively). The latency to emerge from a dark box was significantly related to plumage colour (χ2 =8.9229, df=2, p = 0.01), with the shortest emergence latency observed in black NIT. There was a significant plumage colour effect on the duration of ambulation (χ2 =9.6013, df=2, p = 0.01) and a significant effect on the percentage of floor squares explored by the birds in the open field test (χ2 =6.1191, df=2, p = 0.05). The least ambulation time was observed in black NIT (p = 0.02). Lavender turkeys explored fewer floor squares compared to black and white NIT (p = 0.04). The frequency of escape attempts was significantly associated with the plumage colour of the birds (χ2 =11.6810, df=2, p = 0.00). The highest frequency of escape attempts during the open field test was observed in black birds, while there was no significant difference in the frequency of escape attempts of white and lavender birds. There were no plumage colour effects on the duration of preening (χ2 =1.5896, df=2, p = 0.45), wall pecking (χ2 =3.3346, df=2, p = 0.19) and floor pecking (χ2 =1.7483, df=2, p = 0.42) of NIT in the open field test. The results from this study applied to the early life stage. It can be concluded that plumage colour influenced the level of fear in young NIT, with lavender turkeys being the most fearful in three out of the four statistically significant fear indicators (longer emergence duration, lower number of escape attempts and lower percentage of floor squares explored in an open field test), followed by white, whereas black turkeys were least fearful.

Ecofeminism and Structural Violence

Ecofeminism and Structural Violence

Poetry as a Way of Giving Life in Extreme Situations: A Study of Two Selected Poem by Wallace Steven

The function of poetry is to help people in many different ways to overcome the challenges when they seem to have lost their lives. However, the present paper aims at demonstrating how does imagination in Wallace Steven's(1879-1955) poetry offer skills and techniques which help understand better and cope with difficulties. However, two of Steven's poem are tackled in this paper: "Thirteen Ways of Looking At Black Bird" and '' Disillusion of Ten O'clock". Furthermore, the paper deals with the poem from a new critic point of view. Accordingly, the study concludes that the poet's style of using imagery in many different ways is a modern way of coping with and understanding reality.

Quest for Female Identity in the Novels Bye Bye Black Bird, Fire on the Mountain and Cry the Peacock of Anita Desai

The first and foremost aim of this paper is to bring out Identity Quest in Anita Desai’s Bye-Bye Blackbird and Fire on the Mountain. In this novel the characters who try to know their self are portrayed accordingly. The Indian novel in English is thus characterized by a variety of themes and techniques. It is changing and developing with the time in Indian environment. Social, Political, Technological and Industrial changes have brought corresponding changes in its substance. However, in the field of characterization the Indian novelist in English has not been quite so successful. With some expectations, his characters continue to be stereotypes. Desai explores the intricate facts of human experience of psychic tensions of her characters. Her chief concern is human relationship. Her theme focused on the relationship of a couple - sensitive wife and ill-mannered husband. This paper attempts to show how they achieve the results they seek to gain in order to expose not only the extremity of the suffering endured by women but also the mental trauma of human beings.

Prevalence of Ectoparasitic Arthropods on Free Range Domestic Fowls (G. domesticus) in Amansea and Ifite Communities (Awka, Nigeria)

A survey was carried out to determine the prevalence of ectoparasitic arthropods in free range domestic fowl (Gallus domesticus) in Amansea and Ifite communities. A total of 112 G. domesticus comprising of 42 adult males, 30 adult females and 40 juveniles with plumage of different colours were examined during a house to house survey for ectoparasitic arthropods. The study was carried out between June and September, 2014. Out of the 12 G. domesticus having white plumage, (58.33%) were infested with lice. Fleas were absent on white plumage birds. The 19 G. domesticus having black plumage, (47.37%) were infested by lice. Fleas were also absent on black plumage birds. Out of 34 brown coloured G. Domesticus examined, lice, fleas and mites were recorded to have the same number of infestation (17.65%) each, while (29.41%) were infested by ticks. Out of 47 G. domesticus having mixed colour plumage, (40.42%) were infested by lice. Chi-squared test showed that there was no significant difference between ectoparasites loads on the host and the different plumage colours (P > 0.05). Because of the high prevalence of ectoparasitic arthropods revealed in this study, it is recommended that some control measures should be put in place to improve chicken productivity and enhance the livelihood of these domestic fowls in the areas investigated.