Natural Incubation Research Articles

An Alternative and Up-To-Date Recommendation for a Proper Site for Parathyroid Transplantation: The Omentum.

Various sites have been used for parathyroid allotransplant, such as injection into the forearm, sternocleidomastoid, or deltoid muscles. However, transplant efficiency in these regions varies according to the results reported in the literature and also obtained from our previous studies. Using the omentum "as a natural incubator" for composite tissue-derived cell transplants to increase transplant success is possible. To examine the efficiency of transplant sites for parathyroid allotransplant, we compared clinical cases from the literature and our experience with 23 cases. The omental transplant process is performed under general anesthesia by laparoscopic intervention. The abdominal cavity is visualized with an endocamera from a 5-mm trocar. With the help of a flexible catheter from another 5-mm trocar, microencapsulated or naked parathyroid cells are deposited on the omentum in approximately 30 mL of isotonic saline. The trocar sites are then sutured, and the surgery is terminated. Recipients were followed for 6 months with examination of biochemical parameters (parathormone, calcium, and phosphorus levels), medication use, and clinical scoring. In the 23 patients who received parathyroid allotransplants over the omentum, 7 recipients did not exhibit any changes according to the scoring system criteria. However, on average, serum calcium and phosphorus levels remained within the healthy reference range. In addition, use of oral medications among patients decreased, indicating successful transplant survival. These results were consistent with a significant decrease in hypocalcemia symptoms among patients. In the 23 patients, the success rate was 69.5% for the first 6-month period after transplant. Recent developments and large cohorts are needed to demonstrate the higher efficacy of parathyroid allotransplant over the omentum.

Olive Ridley Sea Turtle Incubation in Natural Conditions Is Possible on Guatemalan Beaches

The Guatemalan strategy for sea turtle conservation was defined by the National Council of Protected Areas (CONAP) in 1989. Hatcheries lie at the core of this strategy: egg collectors are allowed to deliver 20% of a nest to a hatchery in exchange for selling or eating the remaining eggs. Consequently, nearly 100% of nests are collected, with no nests being left on the beaches. Hatchery design promotes shading using roofs made from vegetation. The logic behind this recommendation is that the natural incubation of eggs is supposedly impossible due to the overly high temperatures on the beach. However, changing the incubation temperature of sea turtle eggs can profoundly alter the sex ratio in sea turtles with temperature-dependent sex determination. It can also modify the physiology or behavior of juvenile turtles. Here, we test whether incubation in natural conditions is possible on Guatemalan beaches, and for the first time, we determine the thermal reaction norm of embryo growth to ensure hatching success in sea turtles. We show that incubation in natural conditions is possible since three out of the four monitored nests produced hatchlings. We urge the Guatemala National Council of Protected Areas to reevaluate its strategy for sea turtle conservation in Guatemala in light of these results.

Middle concentration of microplastics decreasing soil moisture-temperature and the germination rate and early height of lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. ramosa Hort.) in Mollisols

Microplastics (MPs) have been widely found in soils, however, the mechanism of MPs influencing plant growth is still debated and possibly attributed to the soil environment changed by MPs. In this study, 0.0 %, 0.1 %, 0.5 %, 1.0 %, 2.0 %, and 5.0 % (w/w) content of low-density polyethylene MPs (LDPE-MPs) with the particle sizes of 75–2000 μm was used to test how MPs alter the germination and the early growth of lettuce (Lactuca sativa var. ramosa Hort.) in Mollisols under both natural condition and regular incubation condition. Soil temperature (ST), soil moisture (SM) and the ratio of cracks area to surface soil area (CA) and cracks length to surface soil area (CL) were monitored. As well, the dynamics of water and nutrient infiltration reported by our previous publication were combined to analyze the relationship between soil properties and crop growth influenced by MP concentration. The main results showed that: (1) compared with CK (0.0 %), the germination and plant height of lettuce were lowest in treatments with the middle concentration of MPs (0.5 % and 1 %, w/w), but was highest in treatments of high concentration of MPs (5.0 %, w/w) during the whole 14 days of incubation; (2) increasing MP concentration weakened the influence of SM on ST in Mollisols; (3) the average of SM and ST were highest at 5 % of MP concentration, while was lowest at 0.5 % and 1 % of MP concentration from the 2nd to the 9th day; (3) compared with CK and other treatments, the CA and CL were lowest in 1.0 % MP concentration, but were highest in 0.1 % and 5.0 % of MP concentration. This study provides insight that middle, rather than high and low levels of MP concentration, significantly decrease the SM and ST and increase nitrogen leaching which further leads to negative impacts on emergent and early growth of crops in soils with heavy texture (Mollisols).

Early-life interventions to prevent feather pecking and reduce fearfulness in laying hens

Severe feather pecking, the pulling out of feathers of conspecifics, is a major welfare issue in laying hens. Possible underlying causes are fearfulness and lack of foraging opportunities. Because early life is a crucial stage in behavioral development, adapting the incubation and rearing environment to the birds' needs may reduce fearfulness and prevent the development of feather pecking. In a 2×2 factorial design study, we investigated whether a green light-dark cycle throughout incubation, which resembles natural incubation circumstances more than the standard dark incubation, and foraging enrichment with live larvae during rearing reduce fearfulness and feather pecking and increase foraging behavior of laying hen pullets from an early age onwards. In this 2-batch experiment, 1,100 ISA Brown eggs were incubated under either 0 h of light/24 h of darkness or 12 h of green LED light/12 h of darkness. After hatching, 400 female chicks (200 per batch) were housed in 44 pens (8-10 chicks per pen). During the entire rearing phase (0-17 wk of age), half of the pens received black soldier fly larvae in a food puzzle as foraging enrichment. We assessed fear of novel objects and humans, feather pecking, plumage condition, foraging behavior, and recovery time after a 3-fold vaccination (acute stressor). A slight increase in the number of foraging bouts was only seen with larvae provisioning (rate ratio 1.19, 95% CI 1.02-1.29, P=0.008). Neither lighted incubation nor larvae provisioning affected fearfulness, feather pecking, plumage condition or recovery time after vaccination. In conclusion, the present study showed no effects of light during incubation and minor effects of foraging enrichment during rearing on the behavior of laying hen pullets. Further research is recommended on other welfare aspects.

Qualitative mutant traits within the indigenous chicken population in selected ecological zones of Ghana

A study was carried out to find out the various mutant traits present in the indigenous chicken population and their influence on egg production in the three ecological zones of Ghana. Four hundred and five (405) households were purposively selected across the Guinea Savannah, Semi-deciduous Rain Forest and Coastal Savannah ecological zones. Structured questionnaire and on-site interviews were used to obtain information from the local chicken keepers. The individual birds were phenotypically observed for the presence of the following genes; frizzle, naked neck, silkiness, polydactyl, ptilopody, crest feathered and flightless. Data on flightless chickens were not available except their gene frequencies since the respondents do not keep them for economic purposes. The data collected were organised and analysed such that phenotypic groups were considered as treatments and ecological zones as blocks. The frequency of the genes responsible for mutant traits were obtained from a count of the proportion of recessive in the sample using the Hardy Weinberg rule. The calculated gene frequencies for the mutant traits observed within the local chicken population ranged from 0.01 to 0.05 which differed significantly (p<0.05) from the expected Mendelian values of 0.75. Average clutch size per year, number of eggs set and chicks hatched per natural incubation were not significantly different (p>0.05) among the three ecological zones. The percentage hatchability for Guinea savannah and Coastal savannah were relatively higher compared to Semi-deciduous rain forest. In terms of phenotypes, polydactyl birds were significantly better (p<0.05) in average eggs per clutch per bird, number of eggs set for natural incubation and number of chicks hatched. Despite the low frequencies of these mutant birds, they had a higher potential for egg laying compared to their recessive counterparts.

Rancang Bangun Mesin Penetas Telur Burung Love Bird Otomatis Berbasis Arduino Uno R3

Caring for birds is in great demand among bird lovers both in terms of maintenance and maintenance which is quite easy, just pay attention to diet and cleanliness of the place. Birds that enter the adult mass will experience overheat, which is a sign that they are ready to be bred and ready to breed. However, problems arise when the bird does not want to incubate its eggs due to certain factors. A fully automatic bird egg incubator using Arduino UNO is needed, which is a tool that functions to incubate bird eggs automatically and perfectly without having to be incubated by the parent, with the aim of reduce the failure rate in raising birds and increase the process of hatching the eggs. This machine regulates the temperature and humidity levels as well as egg rotation so that the resulting temperature can be evenly distributed automatically without having to touch the eggs during the hatching process as a substitute for the natural incubation process by the mother. The temperature needed to incubate the eggs ranges from 37.5°C to 40°C and humidity ranges from 35% to 60%.&#x0D;

Surface change of microplastics in aquatic environment and the removal by froth flotation assisted with cationic and anionic surfactants

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly released into the environment due to the widespread usage and improper management of plastics. Considerable research efforts have been devoted to the remediation of MPs. Froth flotation has been demonstrated as an effective method to remove MPs in water and sediment. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the regulation of the hydrophobicity/hydrophilicity of MPs surfaces. We found that exposure to the natural environment resulted in the increased hydrophilicity of MPs. The flotation efficiencies of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and polyethylene glycol terephthalate (PET) MPs decreased to zero after six months of natural incubation in rivers. According to various characterizations, the hydrophilization mechanism is mainly correlated with surface oxidation and the deposition of clay minerals. Inspired by surface wettability conversion, we applied surfactants (collectors) to enhance MPs hydrophobicity and flotation efficiency. Anionic sodium oleate (NaOL) and cationic dodecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DTAC) were used to regulate surface hydrophobicity. The effects of collector concentration, pH, conditioning time, and metal ions on MPs flotation were thoroughly elucidated. Characterizations and adsorption experiments were performed to describe the heterogeneous adsorption of surfactants on MPs surfaces. The interaction between surfactants and MPs was explained through density functional theory (DFT) simulations. The dispersion energy between hydrophobic hydrocarbon chains attracts collectors on the MPs surface, and the collector molecules wrap and laminate to MPs surfaces. Flotation using NaOL exhibited a higher removal efficiency, and NaOL was environmentally friendly. Subsequently, we investigated the activation of Ca2+, Fe3+, and Al3+ to further improve the collecting efficiency of NaOL. Under the optimized conditions, MPs in natural rivers could be removed by froth flotation. This study shows the great promise of froth flotation for the application of MPs removal.

Monkeypox Awareness Among the Syrian Doctors and Medical Students: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: World Health Organization (WHO) verified 780 cases of monkeypox across 27 countries between 13 May 2022 and 2 June 2022. The World Health Organization (WHO) classified the growing worldwide monkeypox epidemic a PHEIC on July 23; the bulk of confirmed cases have been found in European locations. The purpose of this research is to assess the level of awareness toward human monkeypox virus among the Syrian medical students, general practitioners (GPs), medical residents, and specialists. Methods: We performed a cross-sectional online survey in Syria between 2 may and 8 September, 2022 to assess medical students', general practitioners', residents', and specialists' knowledge about the monkeypox virus. The utilized tool was developed with input from the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and cross-sectional studies conducted in Indonesia. The survey has 53 questions divided into three groups: demographic information, work-related details, and monkeypox knowledge. The time-efficient and simple snowball method of sampling was used. Version 28.0 of SPSS was used to analyze the data. Results: A total of 1257 healthcare workers and medical students throughout all of Syria's governorates took part in the research. The percentage of responders who learned anything about monkeypox in medical school was just 6.2% (n = 78). As a whole, students scored 10.23 out of a possible 15, with 11 being the adequate level for knowledge. About half of the participants (n = 700) are familiar with the term "monkeypox." As well, half of the respondents (n = 663) just learned about monkeypox during the last few days, while almost half (n = 530) only learned about it within the past month. Almost participants didn't know adequately about monkeypox. The natural host and incubation time for monkeypox were correctly identified by just 2.7% of responders and 33.3% of the whole population, respectively. 1.8% of participants gave the right response when asked about the symptoms of monkeypox. Sixty percent of the study sample think the symptoms of monkeypox and smallpox are identical. The females had higher knowledge toward monkeypox (aOR = 1.5, 95% CI = 1.26-1.80, p&lt;0.001) than males. Respondents who are specialist doctors had higher knowledge toward monkeypox (aOR = 2.96, 95% CI = 2.24-3.92, p&lt;0.001) than others. Conclusion: Due to the critical lack of knowledge about monkeypox among Syrian clinicians and undergraduate medical students, urgent action to solve this local issue is required. Therefore, education and awareness regarding monkeypox vaccinations are of paramount importance. In order to improve the medical community's capacity to respond to human monkeypox cases and report them into a disease surveillance system, it is crucial that doctors have a better understanding of the illness.

Identification of time delays in COVID-19 data

Abstract Objective COVID-19 data released by public health authorities is subject to inherent time delays. Such delays have many causes, including delays in data reporting and the natural incubation period of the disease. We develop and introduce a numerical procedure to recover the distribution of these delays from data. Methods We extend a previously-introduced compartmental model with a nonlinear, distributed-delay term with a general distribution, obtaining an integrodifferential equation. We show this model can be approximated by a weighted-sum of constant time-delay terms, yielding a linear problem for the distribution weights. Standard optimization can then be used to recover the weights, approximating the distribution of the time delays. We demonstrate the viability of the approach against data from Italy and Austria. Results We find that the delay-distributions for both Italy and Austria follow a Gaussian-like profile, with a mean of around 11 to 14 days. However, we note that the delay does not appear constant across all data types, with infection, recovery, and mortality data showing slightly different trends, suggesting the presence of independent delays in each of these processes. We also found that the recovered delay-distribution is not sensitive to the discretization resolution. Conclusions These results establish the validity of the introduced procedure for the identification of time-delays in COVID-19 data. Our methods are not limited to COVID-19, and may be applied to other types of epidemiological data, or indeed any dynamical system with time-delay effects.

Production Testing of One-Day Chikens by Untreated Palm Oil Weever Combustion in Gbadolite, the Democratic Republic of Congo

This study was conducted in Gbado-Lite; therefore, it had the objective of producing one-day chickens by palm oil weever combustion. The method adopted for this investigation consisted of constructing an incubator using raffia fibers and using the heat offered by the live combustion of palm oil; the eggs were classified in 3 blocks following the rows on a sieve. This source of energy has achieved a temperature threshold of 37.5 to 39.3 ° C, the recommended temperature for artificial incubation; Hatching rate of 88.9 to 93.5% was recorded, a rate close to the natural incubation. This study has a great socio-economic value because with local inputs, chicks are produced in order to be self-sufficient in meat feed.

Organic and inorganic nutrients modulate taxonomic diversity and trophic strategies of small eukaryotes in oligotrophic oceans.

As the oligotrophic gyres expand due to global warming, exacerbating resource limitation impacts on primary producers, predicting changes to microbial assemblages and productivity requires knowledge of the community response to nutrient availability. This study examines how organic and inorganic nutrients influence the taxonomic and trophic composition (18S metabarcoding) of small eukaryotic plankton communities (< 200µm) within the euphotic zone of the oligotrophic Sargasso Sea. The study was conducted by means of field sampling of natural microbial communities and laboratory incubation of these communities under different nutrient regimes. Dissimilarity in community composition increased along a depth gradient, with a homogeneous protist community within the mixed layer and distinct microbial assemblages at different depths below the deep chlorophyll maximum. A nutrient enrichment assay revealed the potential of natural microbial communities to rapidly shift in composition in response to nutrient addition. Results highlighted the importance of inorganic phosphorus availability, largely understudied compared to nitrogen, in constraining microbial diversity. Dissolved organic matter addition led to a loss of diversity, benefiting a limited number of phagotrophic and mixotrophic taxa. Nutrient history of the community sets the physiological responsiveness of the eukaryotic community to changing nutrient regimes and needs to be considered in future studies.

Research Note: Characterization of peasant family poultry farming in Southern Chile

The poultry industry produces most of the meat and eggs for human consumption worldwide. However, family poultry farming still plays an important role in developing countries providing high quality animal products including eggs and poultry meat for family and local consumption. A field survey was taken to 145 family poultry farmers off the commune of Maullin, Los Lagos Region of Southern Chile, to describe their husbandry and breeding practices, and provide information for future development and conservation priorities. Egg production in these poultry systems of the Maullín commune is a family tradition, run mostly by women, provides an extra income from the sale of extra eggs and chicken meat during autumn and winter months. Flocks of 15 to 30 native, creole or indigenous hens, reach point of lay at 5 or 6 months old. Egg production with a mean rate of 40%, peaks during September. Brown eggs are the most frequent, followed by blue-greenish eggs derived from Mapuche fowl ancestry. A ratio of 10 to 20 females per rooster results in ca. 60% hatching rate from natural incubation. While males are kept for two seasons only, females are kept longer, some until old. Diet is based on locally available or self-produced grains, complemented by pasture browsing, scavenging, and kitchen waste. Sanitary management is low or none and technical knowledge derives from ancestral tradition. Investment in accommodation and feeding is low. Results provide information on these systems in non-tropical areas of developing countries where it is scarce, and highlights how these systems can respond to the challenges of future poultry production, considering both climate change and consumers demand for more wholesome, human and sustainable products.

Antimicrobial potential of chitosan extracted from &lt;em&gt;Bacillus&lt;/em&gt; sp. by optimization of growth culture

Chitosan (-1,4-D-glucosamine), the deacetylated form of chitin, owing to its unique biocompatible, biodegradable, nonantigenic and nontoxic potential, has multiple applications, such as nanoparticles synthesis, drug delivery, dye removal, and as thickening as well as antimicrobial agent. However, production of chitosan involves harsh chemical process. It is neither economical nor environment friendly. Apart from marine organisms, bacteria are also good source of chitosan. Here, we report an alternative cost effective method for production of chitosan from enzymatic deacetylation of bacterial chitin under controlled laboratory conditions. We screened bacterial strains from East Kolkata Wetland area that acts as a natural incubator for microorganisms with rich diversity and identified potential chitosan producing strains. The bacterial isolates, BRS 5 and PS 4 yielded 2 and 0.3% chitosan, respectively. The positive colonies (BRS 5 and PS 4) also showed antibacterial and antifungal activity against E. coli and Candida albicans ATCC 60193. The production of chitosan was optimized by optimizing the bacterial growth against different carbon source, such as glucose, lactose, maltose, fructose and starch in different pH (4-9), and different temperatures (20-45°C) to achieve an increased production rate.

Thermal reaction norm for sexualization: The missing link between temperature and sex ratio for temperature-dependent sex determination

Species with temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) can experience biased sex ratios in natural conditions, which raises questions the vulnerability of populations in the face of climate change. Studies addressing the adaptive significance TSD have been hampered by the difficulty of accurately estimating sex ratios under natural incubation conditions. Here we introduce the thermal reaction norm for sexualization, a novel concept measuring the strength of masculinization or feminization of temperatures, to model the effect of temperature for sex determination in TSD species. We use hatchling sex ratio data and field incubation temperatures collected between 2002 and 2018 at a globally important loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nesting rookery. The new parametrization makes possible the understanding of how temperature-sensitive sex determination works. We show that the temperature could influence the sexualization of the gonad earlier than what is currently recognized. Additionally, we explore the results of several easy to implement proxies that have been used in literature. Our approach greatly outperforms previous ones in sex ratio prediction. Our results should help further studies to refine population-wide primary sex ratio estimates of reptiles with TSD to adapt current conservation strategies and develop them in the future.

Hatching Failure in Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) Is Linked to Maternal Identity

Wood turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) have been suffering range-wide population declines since the 1900s. Most monitoring efforts of these turtles involve population surveys to assess population size and viability but relatively few investigate rates of reproductive success. We collected four consecutive years (2013–2016) of wood turtle nesting data at a nesting site in northwestern New Jersey; population-level hatching success was unusually low. Furthermore, annual, intra-individual hatch rates and comparisons between natural and artificial incubation revealed that approximately half of all females usually produced clutches with low (&amp;lt;50%) hatch rates, regardless of incubation conditions. In contrast, the annual hatch rates of other females were either consistently high (&amp;gt;50%) or highly variable, ranging from 0 to 100%. Thus, some adult females are potentially making much larger contributions to the next generation than others. A repeatability analysis suggested that approximately 60% of the hatch rate variability observed in this population can be attributed to maternal identity. The remaining 40% may be attributed to the random environmental factors that are often theorized to be potential reasons for reduced hatch rates in turtle populations (e.g., unsuitable incubation conditions, flooding, desiccation, egg infertility, egg damage due to improper handling by researchers, root and insect predation, and microbial infection). The ultimate causes of this population’s hatching success variability are uncertain, but maternally-linked hatching failure in turtle populations could be associated with inbreeding, infertility, senescence, inadequate maternal diets, or environmental contamination. This study indicates that commonly suggested hypotheses for hatching failure, such as unsuitable incubation conditions or infertility, are unlikely to explain all of the hatch rate variability in some turtle populations. This study also reveals a cryptic conservation implication for vulnerable turtle populations: that the presence of many nesting females and nests does not necessarily assure high or even sustainable reproductive rates. When coupled with the high rates of nest predation and low juvenile survival rates that are common in most turtle populations, the exceedingly low hatch rates observed in this population suggest that recruitment in some turtle populations could be severely hindered even when nests are protected in the field or incubated in laboratory settings.

Serological evidence of egg drop syndrome 1976 in backyard poultry flocks in Southwestern Nigeria

In Nigeria, egg drop syndrome 1976 (EDS’76), unlike other poultry diseases, has been given little attention as a cause of economic losses due to decreased egg production, particularly in backyard poultry flocks. This study aimed to investigate the presence of EDS’76 virus in backyard poultry flocks in Oyo and Osun states, Southwestern Nigeria. Blood samples were collected in 24 farms from 218 apparently healthy, unvaccinated birds which comprised 30 Japanese quails, 75 turkeys, 30 ducks, 57 indigenous chickens and 26 guinea fowls. Indirect ELISA was used to detect anti-EDS’76 virus antibodies in sera from the birds, and poultry owners were interviewed on their purposes with regard to bird raising. Overall, 139 (63.8%) sera were positive for EDS’76 with 26.7% (8/30), 90.7% (68/75), 33.3% (10/30), 89.5% (51/57) and 7.7% (2/26) from Japanese quails, turkeys, ducks, indigenous chickens and guinea fowls, respectively. Some of the farmers practiced placing eggs from guinea fowls under brooding indigenous hens for natural incubation, or sold eggs from turkeys and ducks to commercial hatcheries. Our findings suggest that these bird species serve as reservoirs of EDS’76 virus with the probable involvement of backyard poultry in its transmission, particularly to commercial poultry and other birds in Southwestern Nigeria. Thus, backyard poultry should be included in anti-EDS’76 vaccination schedules in the country.

Effect of lower temperature stimuli during incubation on fear and social-related behaviours in broilers

Temperature is the most influential environmental parameter during egg incubation affecting embryo development, hatchability and post-hatch performance of broilers. Industrial incubation operates to control the temperature and humidity around the eggs closely based on predefined setpoints and keep fluctuations to a minimum. On the other hand, during brooding, the mother hen regularly leaves the nest for self-maintenance resulting in a striking difference between the constant industrial versus fluctuating natural incubation temperature profiles. Previous studies on ducks and laying hens have found fear and/or social behaviours to be affected by temperatures below recommended values during incubation, a similar result could be existing in commercial broilers. Therefore, this study examines the effect of lowering machine temperatures during incubation on behaviour. Three incubation treatments were defined with a constant machine temperature of 37.6 °C on embryonic day (ED) 0–13 and 19–21 with the machine temperature differing on ED 13–18: (1) Control (C; 37.6 °C), (2) non-optimal Incubation Treatment (IT; 36.6 °C), (3) Natural Treatment (NT, 30 °C for 30 min per day). Post-hatch fear and social behaviour were quantified using six scientifically accepted behavioural tests: three fear tests (novel object on day (d) 1 and d8, tonic immobility (d40), inversion (d42)), two social tests (isolation (d19) and social reinstatement (25)) and one social/fear test (emergence (d18 and d20)). For the emergence test, wherein the time taken for an individual chick to emerge from a T-shaped box was measured, a treatment effect was found on the latency to emerge (P < 0.05) with C chicks emerging more often and faster than IT chicks. As no differences for IT were found in other social tests, the emergence suggest IT chicks to be more hesitant towards novel environments. No differences were present between NT and C or NT and IT. For the isolation test, where an individual chick is visually and audibly isolated for 3 min and the number of vocalisations was measured, an interaction was found between treatment and sex (P < 0.001). Females vocalised more than males in IT and C, but this was not the case for NT. NT male chicks could thus be considered more sensitive to social separation, which could be explained by the higher impact of early stress, caused by the severe temperature drops in NT, having a stronger impact on the anxiety behaviour of males compared to females in later life.

Natural Incubation and Broody Hen Management Practices in Barishal District, Bangladesh

Natural Incubation and Broody Hen Management Practices in Barishal District, Bangladesh

Exploitation of the common guinea fowl (Numida meleagris) in the Northern region of Cameroon

Family poultry is an easily accessible source of income and animal protein for low-income populations in developing countries. This study was designed to describe the production system of the guinea fowlin the north region of Cameroon. To achieve this objective, a structured questionnaire was submitted to 72 guinea fowl keepers selected randomly in 7 localities. It emerged that guinea fowl farming is mostly a male business (77.78%). The average flock size is between 5-10 adult animals and the main production objectivesare consumption and sales (69.44%). The flocks are constituted from natural incubations carried out by local hens (88.88%); egg production is seasonal and poor, and almost all incubated eggs come from local markets (84.5%), individual collection in the surrounding groves and domestic spawning. Guinea fowls are in a scavenging system (66.66%) and merely housed. Birds often benefit from few handfuls of cereals (corn seeds and millet) and home wastes. Keets’mortality rate is higher (80.55%) among those aged between 8 to12 days. Majority of guinea fowls’keepers (76%) do not practice any health monitoring. The technical and financial constraintsare the major challenges to the development of guinea fowl production. The organization of producers, the dissemination of appropriate technologies and support with enabling policies and private sectors would improve the overallproduction performance and thus the rational exploitation of this native genetic resource.

Roe-inspired stem cell microcapsules for inflammatory bowel disease treatment

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), which exert regulatory effects on various immune cells, have been a promising therapy for inflammatory bowel disease treatment. However, their therapeutic effects are limited by lack of nutritional supply, immune system attack, and low accumulation on the target site. Here, inspired by the natural incubation mechanism of roe, we present immune-isolating, wet-adhesive, and nutrient-rich microcapsules for therapeutic MSCs encapsulation. The adhesive shells were fabricated by ionic cross-linking of alginate and visible curing of epsilon-poly-L-lysine-graft-methacrylamide and dopamine methacrylamide, which encapsulated the liquid core of the MSCs and roe proteins. Due to the core-shell construction of the resultant microcapsules, the MSCs might escape from attack of the immune system while still maintaining immunomodulating functions. In addition, the roe proteins encapsulated in the core phase offered sufficient nutrient supply for MSCs' survival and proliferation. Furthermore, after intraperitoneal transplantation, the wet-adhesive radicals on the shell surface could immobilize the MSCs-encapsulating microcapsules onto the bowel. Based on these features, practical values of the roe-inspired microcapsules with MSCs encapsulation were demonstrated by applying them to treat dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis through increasing residence time, regulating immune imbalance, and relieving disease progression. We believe that the proposed roe-inspired microcapsules with MSCs encapsulation are potential for clinical application.