Nesting behaviour of Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) females kept in aviaries

For many bird species in captivity best practice for incubation procedures have yet to be developed. This is hampered by a lack of cooperation between bird breeders or by a reluctance to experiment on valuable eggs. The last two problems may be solved by observation of natural incubation, which technology has made a lot easier. Many studies document incubation behavior: daily time spend in the nest, preferred hours of making absences, egg turning rate, incubation temperature. Such data is scientifically interesting but also allows for better protection of endangered species through development of captive breeding programmes. The Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is a threatened species over much of its European range and various conservation actions are being taken to save populations from global or local extinction. Our study took place in Capercaillie Breeding Centre in Wisła Forestry District and describes nesting and incubation behaviour of Capercaillie females kept in captivity. Our aim was to better document the nesting behaviour by recording egg turning rate, and the time and length of incubation recesses. Time of day and day of incubation had no significant influence on recess length, but number of recesses was related with time of day with two peaks at 06:00 h and18:00 h. Egg turning activity was the greatest during the first and last two days of incubation but generally consistent throughout the rest of incubation. Captive hens spent less time outside of the nest than wild ones, their absences were shorter, rarer and took place mostly at the evening. However, differences in preferred absence hours were not as clearly marked as in case of wild birds. It is hoped that this information will help improve management practises to maximise the reproductive output of captive Capercaillie

Wartość obrazowania dyfuzyjnego MR za pomocą aparatu niskopolowego w ostrym okresie udaru niedokrwiennego mózgowia

Background: Early detection of ischemic changes in the brain is significant for prompt initiation of suitable, especially thrombolytic, treatment. Until recently, the essential diagnostic method was computerized tomography (CT), despite its limited value in detecting and assessing ischemic area extent. CT perfusion, magnetic resonance (MR) perfusion, and diffusion MR (DWI, diffusion weighted imaging) are currently considered the most sensitive methods. Until recently, DWI was available only in modern, high-field MR units (1.5-3 Tesla). The aim of our study was to evaluate the usefulness of low-field DWI performed with a modern low-field MR system (with appropriate software) in patients with early ischemic stroke. Material/Methods: Forty patients with clinically diagnosed ischemic stroke were examined 1-12 hours after onset of symptoms. In all patients, non-contrast CT followed by DWI was performed. The time between both studies did not exceed 30 minutes. After 2 weeks, follow-up MR (FLAIR, T2 and Tl-weighted images) was performed in 36 patients. Results: Foci of increased signal intensity, localized in the cerebral hemispheres and posterior fossa, were detected on the DWI images of 30 patients. Follow-up MR studies confirmed ischemic lesions in 24 cases. Among the 10 patients in whom ischemic changes had not been diagnosed in DWI examination, the follow-up MR revealed such in 4 cases. The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of DWI were calculated as 87.5%, 50% and 78%, respectively. Conclusions: DWI examination with a low-field MR system enables efficient detection of brain lesions in the early stage of ischemic stroke

The Human Transcriptome During Nontyphoid Salmonella and HIV Coinfection Reveals Attenuated NFκB-Mediated Inflammation and Persistent Cell Cycle Disruption

Background. Invasive nontyphoid Salmonella (iNTS) disease is common and severe in adults with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in Africa. We previously observed that ex vivo macrophages from HIV-infected subjects challenged with Salmonella Typhimurium exhibit dysregulated proinflammatory cytokine responses

The impact of egg incubation temperature on the personality of oviparous reptiles

Personality traits, defined as differences in the behavior of individual animals of the same species that are consistent over time and context, such as ‘boldness,’ have been shown to be both heritable and be influenced by external factors, such as predation pressure. Currently, we know very little about the role that early environmental factors have upon personality. Thus, we investigated the impact of incubation temperature upon the boldness on an oviparous reptile, the bearded dragon (Pogona vitticeps). Eggs, from one clutch, were incubated at two different average temperatures within the normal range. After hatching the lizards were raised under the same environmental conditions. Novel object and novel environment tests were used to assess personality. Each test was repeated in both the short term and the long term. The results revealed that incubation temperature did impact upon ‘boldness’ but only in the short term and suggests that, rather than influencing personality, incubation temperature may have an effect on the development of behavioral of oviparous reptiles at different stages across ontogeny

A Potential New Pathway for Staphylococcus aureus Dissemination: The Silent Survival of S. aureus Phagocytosed by Human Monocyte-Derived Macrophages

Although considered to be an extracellular pathogen, Staphylococcus aureus is able to invade a variety of mammalian, non-professional phagocytes and can also survive engulfment by professional phagocytes such as neutrophils and monocytes. In both of these cell types S. aureus promptly escapes from the endosomes/phagosomes and proliferates within the cytoplasm, which quickly leads to host cell death. In this report we show that S. aureus interacted with human monocyte-derived macrophages in a very different way to those of other mammalian cells. Upon phagocytosis by macrophages, S. aureus persisted intracellularly in vacuoles for 3–4 days before escaping into the cytoplasm and causing host cell lysis. Until the point of host cell lysis the infected macrophages showed no signs of apoptosis or necrosis and were functional. They were able to eliminate intracellular staphylococci if prestimulated with interferon-γ at concentrations equivalent to human therapeutic doses. S. aureus survival was dependent on the alternative sigma factor B as well as the global regulator agr, but not SarA. Furthermore, isogenic mutants deficient in α-toxin, the metalloprotease aureolysin, protein A, and sortase A were efficiently killed by macrophages upon phagocytosis, although with different kinetics. In particular α-toxin was a key effector molecule that was essential for S. aureus intracellular survival in macrophages. Together, our data indicate that the ability of S. aureus to survive phagocytosis by macrophages is determined by multiple virulence factors in a way that differs considerably from its interactions with other cell types. S. aureus persists inside macrophages for several days without affecting the viability of these mobile cells which may serve as vehicles for the dissemination of infection

Changes of eggshell characteristics during embryo development in Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus)

The influence of a developing bird embryo on eggshell thinning is well known, however this phenomenon has been described mainly for poultry, and in wild birds is poorly understood. This study focussed on Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus), in which the effect of a developing embryo on the change of eggshell thickness has not been described. However, problems relating to a large number of dead embryos and eggs cracking during incubation are observed in captive breeding centres giving us the opportunity to test how the developing embryo affects the eggshell and thereby its properties, including eggshell strength and thickness. In total, 196 unhatched eggs, including 146 infertile and 50 eggs with embryos which died at various stages of development, were analysed in relation to eggshell shape, thickness and strength. Moreover, 102 posthatched eggshells were also examined. Although the strength of eggshell was affected by egg shape and shell thickness, contrary to expectations, the stage of embryonic development had no significant influence on eggshell strength. As has been demonstrated in other species, etching of eggshells by the developing embryo reduces shell thickness in Capercaillie but it has minimal effect on the strength of the eggshell. Egg viability is not compromised during the later stages of development by contact incubation with the female. The eggshell of infertile eggs or eggs containing earlydead embryos were 10% thicker than posthatched eggshells and eggs with late-dead embryos, confirming that eggshell thinning in Capercaillie is typical for precocial species

Student Support in a Time of Crisis: How a Small Liberal Arts College Writing Center Developed A Course-Embedded Consulting Model for First Year Students

This presentation documents how a small-liberal arts college employed course-embedded peer tutoring efforts to support first-year students in selected sections of required introductory writing courses during the ongoing pandemic; our presentation highlights how students in selected sections valued such support in a variety of ways.https://encompass.eku.edu/pedagogicon_presentations/1008/thumbnail.jp

Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) eggshell pigmentation, maculation and thickness

Eggshells properties (mainly thickness, pigmentation and shape) vary within avian taxa across species, and intraspecifically with age, environmental conditions or individual features of the animals. The properties and appearance of eggshells are important for successful breeding both for birds kept in captivity and in breeding centres and those living in their natural environment. The presented study focuses on the association between the pigmentation, maculation and eggshell thickness of Western Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) kept in captivity. The eggs were collected during the entire egg-laying season in order to determine the factors which influence eggshell pigmentation and thickness across the laying period. We found that at the equator surface the lightest eggs had a tendency to be thinner than the darkest ones. In addition, eggshells with a smooth pattern were thinner at the equator, especially when compared to the mottled ones. There was no statistically significant association between the eggshell overall lightness (eggshell pigmentation except the concentrated pigment spots), maculation and eggshell thickness at the blunt and sharp ends of the eggshell. Eggshells were on average 5.5% thicker at spots than in other areas. The obtained results suggest that the spot pigment forms an additional layer on the Capercaillie eggshell and does not compensate for the loss of thickness, as observed in some bird species (Passeriformes, Falconiformes)