Beleuchtung als Einflussfaktor für eine tiergerechte Mastputenhaltung

Im Rahmen des Forschungsprojekts „Optimierung des Lichtmanagements in der Haltung von Mastputen“ (OptiLiMa) wird der Einfluss der Stallbeleuchtung auf das Verhalten von Mastputen untersucht. Dafür wird eine LED-Vollspektrumbeleuchtung mit Wellenlängen vom UVA-Bereich bis zum sichtbaren Licht sowie ein automatisches Tierbeobachtungssystem mittels KI-videobasierter Objekterkennung entwickelt. Im Fokus der Untersuchungen steht dabei ein bislang wenig untersuchter möglicher Haltungsfaktor, der Einfluss der Beleuchtung auf das Verhalten von Mastputen. Getestet wurde einerseits die Auswirkung von Flimmerfrequenzen mit 165 Hz, 500 Hz und 16 kHz sowie andererseits unterschiedliche Lichtspektren im für Menschen sichtbaren Bereich mit und ohne einen zusätzlichen UVA-Anteil. Die von den Puten bevorzugten Aufenthaltsbereiche im Maststall wurden analysiert. Zusätzlich wurde in Federproben die Konzentration von Corticosteron gemessen, um die Effekte der verschiedenen Flimmerfrequenzen auf die Langzeitsekretion dieses Stresshormons als Reaktion auf die Umgebungsbedingungen zu erfassen. Ziel der Studie ist es, Parameter für eine den Haltungsansprüchen von Mastputen gerecht werdende Stall-beleuchtung zu bestimmen, die ggf. zur Verbesserung des Tierwohls beitragen kann

Correction: Lassa hemorrhagic fever in a late term pregnancy from northern Sierra Leone with a positive maternal outcome: case report

Lassa fever (LF) is a devastating viral disease prevalent in West Africa. Efforts to take on this public health crisis have been hindered by lack of infrastructure and rapid field deployable diagnosis in areas where the disease is prevalent. Recent capacity building at the Kenema Government Hospital Lassa Fever Ward (KGH LFW) in Sierra Leone has lead to a major turning point in the diagnosis, treatment and study of LF. Herein we present the first comprehensive rapid diagnosis and real time characterization of an acute hemorrhagic LF case at KGH LFW. This case report focuses on a third trimester pregnant Sierra Leonean woman from the historically non-endemic Northern district of Tonkolili who survived the illness despite fetal demise. Employed in this study were newly developed recombinant LASV Antigen Rapid Test cassettes and dipstick lateral flow immunoassays (LFI) that enabled the diagnosis of LF within twenty minutes of sample collection. Deregulation of overall homeostasis, significant hepatic and renal system involvement, and immunity profiles were extensively characterized during the course of hospitalization. Rapid diagnosis, prompt treatment with a full course of intravenous (IV) ribavirin, IV fluids management, and real time monitoring of clinical parameters resulted in a positive maternal outcome despite admission to the LFW seven days post onset of symptoms, fetal demise, and a natural still birth delivery. These studies solidify the growing rapid diagnostic, treatment, and surveillance capabilities at the KGH LF Laboratory, and the potential to significantly improve the current high mortality rate caused by LF. As a result of the growing capacity, we were also able to isolate Lassa virus (LASV) RNA from the patient and perform Sanger sequencing where we found significant genetic divergence from commonly circulating Sierra Leonean strains, showing potential for the discovery of a newly emerged LASV strain with expanded geographic distribution. Furthermore, recent emergence of LF cases in Northern Sierra Leone highlights the need for superior diagnostics to aid in the monitoring of LASV strain divergence with potentially increased geographic expansion.Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyOther Research Uni

Peripartum depression and anxiety as an integrative cross domain target for psychiatric preventative measures

Exposure to high levels of early life stress has been identified as a potent risk factor for neurodevelopmental delays in infants, behavioral problems and autism in children, but also for several psychiatric illnesses in adulthood, such as depression, anxiety, autism, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Despite having robust adverse effects on both mother and infant, the pathophysiology of peripartum depression and anxiety are poorly understood. The objective of this review is to highlight the advantages of using an integrated approach addressing several behavioral domains in both animal and clinical studies of peripartum depression and anxiety. It is postulated that a greater focus on integrated cross domain studies will lead to advances in treatments and preventative measures for several disorders associated with peripartum depression and anxiety. Exposure to high levels of early life stress has been identified as a potent risk factor for neurodevelopmental delays in infants, behavioral problems and autism in children, but also for several psychiatric illnesses in adulthood, such as depression, anxiety, autism, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Despite having robust adverse effects on both mother and infant, the pathophysiology of peripartum depression and anxiety are poorly understood. The objective of this review is to highlight the advantages of using an integrated approach addressing several behavioral domains in both animal and clinical studies of peripartum depression and anxiety. It is postulated that a greater focus on integrated cross domain studies will lead to advances in treatments and preventative measures for several disorders associated with peripartum depression and anxiety

Research Note: Irritating flashing light or poultry-friendly lighting—are flicker frequencies of LED luminaires a potential stress factor in the husbandry of male fattening turkeys?

Conventional fluorescent tubes are increasingly being replaced with innovative light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for lighting poultry houses. However, little is known about whether the flicker frequencies of LED luminaires are potential stressors in poultry husbandry. The term “light flicker” describes the fluctuations in the brightness of an electrically operated light source caused by the design and/or control of the light source. In this context, the critical flicker frequency (CFF) characterizes the frequency at which a sequence of light flashes is perceived as continuous light. It is known that CFF in birds is higher than that in humans and that light flicker can affect behavioral patterns and stress levels in several bird species. As there is a lack of knowledge about the impact of flicker frequency on fattening turkeys, this study aimed to investigate the effects of flicker frequency on the behavior, performance, and stress response in male turkeys. In 3 trials, a total of 1,646 male day-old turkey poults of the strain B.U.T. 6 with intact beaks were reared for 20 wk in 12 barn compartments of 18 m² each. Each barn compartment was illuminated using 2 full-spectrum LED lamps. Flicker frequencies of 165 Hz, 500 Hz, and 16 kHz were set in the luminaires to illuminate the compartments. Analyses of feather corticosterone concentration were performed on fully grown third-generation primaries (P 3) of 5 turkeys from each compartment. No significant differences were found in the development of live weight, feed consumption, or prevalence of injured or killed turkeys by conspecifics reared under the above flicker frequencies. The flicker frequencies also did not significantly influence feather corticosterone concentrations in the primaries of the turkeys. In conclusion, the present results indicate that flicker frequencies of 165 Hz or higher have no detrimental effect on growth performance, injurious pecking, or endocrine stress response in male turkeys and, thus, may be suitable for use as animal-friendly lighting

A Model of Distance Special Education Support Services Amidst COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the everyday life of many individuals across the globe. The school closures across the majority of the United States have presented administrators, educators, and behavior analysts with the unprecedented task of deciding how best to teach and support our students, especially those accessing special education services. The current paper describes the steps our program took, in light of school closures, to advocate for and ultimately create and implement a model that allows special education students to access the behavior analytic educational supports they had received on campus (e.g., BCBA and paraprofessional support) in a novel and remote manner. We share details regarding the advocacy and collaboration process as well as the distance special education support model itself in hopes that similar processes and models can be implemented across geographical locations to assist special education students in accessing their educational and behavioral supports in a meaningful way throughout current and future school closures