Search Results (199)

The objectives of this study were to determine the dose effect/s of glucose (G) and fructose (F) at different energy densities (ED) of diets on feed intake, body and organ weights, chemical composition of liver, feed conversion, and metabolomic indices (enzymes and hormones). Methods: Seventy-two 10-week-old male Wistar SPF rats were divided into 9 dietary groups and housed individually in metabolic cages. The control group was on a carbohydrate-free high lard diet (L), and for the other 8 treatment groups, the L content of the control diet was gradually replaced by G or F to decrease the dietary ED, in such a way that the nutrients (protein, minerals and vitamins) to energy ratio of the feeds remained constant. These experimental diets were fed to rats for 28 days. Feed intake and body weight were measured twice weekly. On the 28th day of the experiment, the rats were euthanized, and blood and organ samples were collected for further tests. Results and conclusions: The effects of F and G on twenty-six parameters were measured at different EDs of diets. Significant specific F effects (SFE) over the rats on G diets were found in case of feed intake (statistics with pooled data of feed intake (Fi) showed ~7% more feed intake of F rats: 10.8, 6.4, 9.5 and 2.0% at 5.28, 4.70, 4.23 and 3.85 kcal/g ED, respectively); body weight gain (the relation is polynomial; 8.0, 10.3, 0.1, and −10.2% at 5.28, 4.70, 4.23, and 3.85 kcal/g ED; it related to the weight change of viscera: liver, kidney and RWAT); liver fat (3.98, 21.42, 49.20 and 11.05% at 5.28, 4.70, 4.23, and 3.85 kcal/g ED, respectively); serum triglyceride (the relation is polynomial; 63.2, 88.1, 79.2 and 42.6% at 5.28, 4.73, 4.23, and 3.85 kcal/g ED, respectively); serum glucagon (−1.2, 380.2, 248.3 and 74.7% at 5.28, 4.70, 4.23, and 3.85 kcal/g ED, respectively), and serum leptin (9.59, 30.53, 72.64, and −46.49% at 5.28, 4.70, 4.23, and 3.85 kcal/g ED, respectively). An important conclusion is that in several cases, the effects of F and G were similar in the direction of change, but the magnitude of the effects was different. In case of feed conversion rate, there was no difference between the effect of G and F, however it is important to note that the higher the dietary energy and nutrient density, the better the feed conversion rate (FCR); The potential mechanism(s) of effect for each parameter is discussed and, where appropriate, the clinical relevance of the data compared to the known literature. Full article

This study investigated the cage size preferences of juvenile chinchillas using enclosures that allowed free choice between different dimensions. Three comparisons were tested: (1) small floor area (0.15 m²) vs. double floor area (0.30 m²) at constant height; (2) low height (0.4 m) vs. high height (1.0 m) at constant floor area (0.15 m²); and (3) small–low cage (0.15 m² × 0.4 m) vs. large–high cage (0.30 m² × 1.0 m). The juveniles consistently preferred the smaller or lower enclosures across all trials. In the floor area tests, chinchillas spent about 66–75% of their time in the small cage compartments (p < 0.001). In the height comparison, the low cage was preferred by 70% (p < 0.001). When both floor area and height were increased, the small–low cage was preferred by 79% (p < 0.001). Differences in preference were most evident during the daytime period. At night, however, cage utilization was more even. These results indicate that young chinchillas strongly prefer smaller, lower spaces. Based on these preference tests alone, simply providing larger cages (without other modifications) did not result in greater use by juvenile chinchillas. These unexpected results suggest that factors such as safety or familiarity drive juveniles to choose smaller enclosures. Further research is needed to clarify the motivation behind these preferences and to determine how best to incorporate them into improved welfare-oriented housing designs. Full article

We explore the spontaneous emission dynamics of a giant atom coupled to a photonic Creutz ladder, focusing on how flat-band frustration and synthetic gauge fields shape atom–photon interactions. The Creutz ladder exhibits perfectly flat bands, Aharonov–Bohm caging, and topological features arising from its nontrivial hopping structure. By embedding the giant atom at multiple spatially separated sites, we reveal interference-driven emission control and the formation of nonradiative bound states. Using both spectral and time-domain analyses, we uncover strong non-Markovian dynamics characterized by persistent oscillations, long-lived entanglement, and recoherence cycles. The emergence of bound-state poles in the spectral function is accompanied by spatially localized photonic profiles and directionally asymmetric emission, even in the absence of band dispersion. Calculations of von Neumann entropy and atomic purity confirm the formation of coherence-preserving dressed states in the flat-band regime. Furthermore, the spacetime structure of the emitted field displays robust zig-zag interference patterns and synthetic chirality, underscoring the role of geometry and topology in photon transport. Our results demonstrate how flat-band photonic lattices can be leveraged to engineer tunable atom–photon entanglement, suppress radiative losses, and create structured decoherence-free subspaces for quantum information applications. Full article

To evaluate the response of broiler breeder hens submitted to different amino acid intakes of methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine, and to determine the coefficients for egg output and body weight for maintenance. Three studies were performed using 160 broiler breeder hens housed individually in metabolic cages. A summit diet and a nitrogen-free diet were formulated. The levels ranged from 1.79 to 7.13, 2.49 to 8.3, and 2.04 to 6.79 g/kg of methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine, respectively. The variables measured were feed intake, amino acid intake, rate of lay, egg weight, and egg output. The broken line model was used to evaluate the responses. It was verified that higher values of the rate of lay, egg weight, and egg output were observed for the higher concentrations of amino acids studied. A significant difference was observed for the variables rate of lay, egg weight, egg output, and body weight (p < 0.05) for the three amino acids evaluated. The amount of each amino acid required to produce one gram per egg was estimated at 12.4 mg, 14.5 mg, and 11.2 mg for methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine, respectively. The values estimated by coefficient b that represent the amino acid for maintenance requirement were methionine+cystine, lysine, and threonine of 30.2, 32.2, and 42.4 mg/kg BW, respectively. The coefficients may be used to design additional models to study requirements nutrition in broiler breeders, allowing a better understanding of how these birds respond to different dietary amino acids. Full article

Outdoor access, often referred to as pop holes, is widely used to improve the production and welfare of hens. Such cage-free environments present an opportunity for precision flock management via best environmental control practices. However, outdoor access disrupts the integrity of the indoor environment, including properly planned ventilation. Moreover, complaints exist that hens do not use the holes to access the outdoor environment due to the strong incoming airflow through the outdoor access, as they behave as uncontrolled air inlets in a negative pressure ventilation system. As the egg industry transitions to cage-free systems, there is an urgent need for validated computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models to optimize ventilation strategies that balance animal welfare, environmental control, and production efficiency. We developed and validated CFD models of a cage-free hen house with outdoor access by specifying real-world conditions, including two exhaust fans, sidewall ventilation inlets, wire-meshed pens, outdoor access, and plenum inlets. The simulations of four ventilation scenarios predict the measured air flow velocity with an error of less than 50% for three of the scenarios, and the simulations predict temperature with an error of less than 6% for all scenarios. Plenum-based systems outperformed sidewall systems by up to 136.3 air changes per hour, while positive pressure ventilation effectively mitigated disruptions to outdoor access. We expect that knowledge of improved ventilation strategy will help the egg industry improve the welfare of hens cost-effectively. Full article

Foraging behavior in hens is an important indicator of animal welfare. It involves both the search for food and exploration of the environment, which provides necessary enrichment. In addition, it has been inversely linked to damaging behaviors such as severe feather pecking. Conventional studies rely on manual observation to investigate foraging location, duration, timing, and frequency. However, this approach is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and subject to human bias. Our study developed computer vision-based methods to automatically detect foraging hens in a cage-free research environment and compared their performance. A cage-free room was divided into four pens, two larger pens measuring 2.9 m × 2.3 m with 30 hens each and two smaller pens measuring 2.3 m × 1.8 m with 18 hens each. Cameras were positioned vertically, 2.75 m above the floor, recording the videos at 15 frames per second. Out of 4886 images, 70% were used for model training, 20% for validation, and 10% for testing. We trained multiple You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detection models from YOLOv9, YOLOv10, and YOLO11 series for 100 epochs each. All the models achieved precision, recall, and mean average precision at 0.5 intersection over union (mAP@0.5) above 75%. YOLOv9c achieved the highest precision (83.9%), YOLO11x achieved the highest recall (86.7%), and YOLO11m achieved the highest mAP@0.5 (89.5%). These results demonstrate the use of computer vision to automatically detect complex poultry behavior, such as foraging, making it more efficient. Full article

Cage-free egg production is now the predominant system in Australia. However, the occurrence of floor eggs (FE), which are eggs laid outside designated nest boxes, presents a major challenge for these producers. To understand factors that may be associated with the laying of FE, a national scoping survey of cage-free egg-laying flocks was undertaken. Forty-three flocks across multiple farms were surveyed via a phone-based interview using predetermined questions. Floor egg levels ranged from 0.01–17%. There was no difference in floor egg levels between the breeds of brown-egg-laying hens. Age at peak lay did not alter the level of FE, but higher rate of peak lay had a weak association with fewer FE (r = −0.31, p = 0.049). Larger flocks had a lower percentage of FE (r = −0.5, p = 0.002), and farmers of larger sized flocks considered a lower level of floor eggs to be acceptable. Farms with tunnel-ventilated sheds reported fewer FE compared to those using other ventilation systems (p = 0.013). Higher floor egg levels were associated with increased labor costs (p = 0.023). These findings suggest that shed design and environmental management may be leveraged to reduce floor egg occurrence and improve operational efficiency in cage-free systems. Full article

Rooster behavior and activity are critical for egg fertility and hatchability in broiler and layer breeder houses. Desirable roosters are expected to have good leg health, reach sexual maturity, be productive, and show less aggression toward females during mating. However, not all roosters are desirable, and low-productive roosters should be removed and replaced. The objectives of this study were to apply an object detection model based on deep learning to identify hens and roosters based on phenotypic characteristics, such as comb size and body size, in a cage-free (CF) environment, and to compare the performance metrics among the applied models. Six roosters were mixed with 200 Lohmann LSL Lite hens during the pre-peak phase in a CF research facility and were marked with different identifications. Deep learning methods, such as You Only Look Once (YOLO) models, were innovated and trained (based on a comb size of up to 2500 images) for the identification of male and female chickens based on comb size and body features. The performance matrices of the YOLOv5u and YOLOv11 models, including precision, recall, mean average precision (mAP), and F1 score, were statistically compared for hen and rooster detection using a one-way ANOVA test at a significance level of p < 0.05. For rooster detection based on comb size, YOLOv5lu, and YOLOv11x variants performed the best among the five variants of each model, with YOLOv5lu achieving a precision of 87.7%, recall of 56.3%, and mAP@0.50 of 60.1%, while YOLOv11x achieved a precision of 86.7%, recall of 65.3%, and mAP@0.50 of 61%. For rooster detection based on body size, YOLOv5xu, and YOLOv11m outperformed other variants, with YOLOv5xu achieving a precision of 88.9%, recall of 77.7%, and mAP@0.50 of 82.3%, while YOLOv11m achieved a precision of 89.0%, recall of 78.8%, and mAP@0.50 of 82.6%. This study provides a reference for automatic rooster monitoring based on comb and body size and offers further opportunities for tracking the activities of roosters in a poultry breeder farm for performance evaluation and genetic selection in the future. Full article

The Lueyang black-bone chicken represents a distinct indigenous avian breed native to China and it is a slow-growing broiler breed. The gut, whose primary function is to digest food and absorb nutrients, is also home to a large and diverse microbial community. The intestinal morphology, intestinal metabolites, and gut microbiota are critical determinants of nutrient utilization efficiency and immune health in poultry. This study investigates the impact of two distinct rearing modalities—cage-raised (CR) and cage-free (CF)—on the intestinal morphology, intestinal metabolites, and gut microbiota of the duodenum and cecum in Lueyang black-bone chickens. Additionally, we have integrated metabolomics and microbiome analyses. Morphological assessments revealed that, in comparison to the CR group, the CF group exhibited a significant increase in duodenal villi height (VH) and crypt depth (CD) (p < 0.01). Furthermore, there was a notable increase in the number of intestinal inflammatory cells within the CF group. Non-targeted metabolomics indicated an upregulation of omega-3 series polyunsaturated fatty acids and bile acid metabolites in the CR group. Conversely, the CF group demonstrated significantly elevated levels of lysophosphatidylcholine (LPC) and phosphatidylcholine (PE) in the intestine. Microbiome analysis revealed that in the duodenum, beneficial bacteria (e.g., Lactobacillus) were the dominant genera in the CF group, while the Bacteroides predominate in the CR group. Correlation analyses indicated a positive association between LPC levels and the presence of eight bacterial genera, including Ureaplasma. The omega-3 series polyunsaturated fatty acids were positively correlated with three bacterial genera, such as Flavobacterium. Notably, bile acid metabolites exhibited a significant positive correlation with Rikenellaceae_RC9_gut_group. In conclusion, this study provides novel insights into how rearing methods influence intestinal morphology, intestinal metabolites, and gut microbiota, offering a new perspective for the scientific management of poultry with the premise of ensuring animal health and welfare. Full article

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has significantly impacted agricultural operations, particularly with the development of deep learning models for animal monitoring and farming automation. This study focuses on evaluating the Depth Anything Model (DAM), a cutting-edge monocular depth estimation model, for its potential in poultry farming. DAM leverages a vast dataset of over 62 million images to predict depth using only RGB images, eliminating the need for costly depth sensors. In this study, we assess DAM’s ability to monitor poultry behavior, specifically detecting drinking patterns. We also evaluate its effectiveness in managing operations, such as tracking floor eggs. Additionally, we evaluate DAM’s accuracy in detecting disparity within cage-free facilities. The accuracy of the model in estimating physical depth was assessed using root mean square error (RMSE) between predicted and actual perch frame depths, yielding an RMSE of 0.11 m, demonstrating high precision. DAM demonstrated 92.3% accuracy in detecting drinking behavior and achieved an 11% reduction in motion time during egg collection by optimizing the robot’s route using cluster-based planning. These findings highlight DAM’s potential as a valuable tool in poultry science, reducing costs while improving the precision of behavioral analysis and farm management tasks. Full article

Research involving non-human primates remains a cornerstone in fields such as biomedical research and systems neuroscience. However, the daily routines of laboratory work can induce stress in these animals, potentially compromising their well-being and the reliability of experimental outcomes. To address this, many laboratories have adopted home-cage training protocols to mitigate stress caused by routine procedures such as transport and restraint—a factor that can impact both macaque physiology and experimental validity. This review explores the primary methods and experimental setups employed in home-cage training, highlighting their potential not only to address ethical concerns surrounding animal welfare but also to reduce training time and risks for the researchers. Furthermore, by combining home-cage training with wireless recordings, it becomes possible to expand research opportunities in behavioral neurophysiology with non-human primates. This approach enables the study of various cognitive processes in more naturalistic settings, thereby increasing the ecological validity of scientific findings through innovative experimental designs that thoroughly investigate the complexity of the animals’ natural behavior. Full article

Bird cherry-oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.; Hemiptera: Aphididae) and English grain aphid (Sitobion avenae Fabricius; Hemiptera: Aphididae) are economically important cereal crop pests and effective vectors of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). While these aphid species have traditionally been managed with synthetic chemical insecticides, their use is increasingly difficult due to target organism resistance and potential non-target effects. Exploiting genetic diversity among cereal varieties offers a more sustainable control strategy. In this study, we evaluated how an experimental confinement method using clip cages to restrict an aphid to a single leaf versus free movement on the host plant affects the performance (growth and reproduction) of these two aphid species on various wheat varieties. Aphid performance was significantly influenced by both confinement and wheat variety. Notably, the two aphid species responded in opposite ways to confinement, with S. avenae growing quicker and producing a greater number of offspring under clip cage confinement compared to R. padi, which performed better when left free on the plant. This contrast is likely explained by species-specific feeding site preferences and sensitivity to the microenvironment created by the clip cages. We also found significant differences in aphid performance among host plant varieties, with both aphid species achieving their lowest growth rates on “Wolverine”, a modern BYDV-resistant wheat cultivar. Although none of the tested varieties were completely resistant to aphids, our results indicate that existing commercial cultivars may already carry partial resistance traits that can be leveraged in integrated pest management programs to help suppress aphid populations. Full article

This study assessed environmental gradients at different heights in a multi-tiered aviary and their relationship with hen spatial distribution. Two pens of an experimental aviary housing 225 Novogen hens (Novogen S.A.S., Plédran, France) each were monitored when their hens were 32–52 weeks old over three periods (January, March, and June). The environmental conditions (humidity, sound intensity, NH₃, CO₂, and particulate matter; PM: PM₁, PM_2.5, PM₄, and PM₁₀) were continuously recorded every 10 min, 24 h per day, at three heights (floor and middle and upper tiers) using an IoT-based system. Hen distribution was analysed using video recordings from 04:00 to 20:00, scanning 15 min for every 30 min of video. On the whole, the air quality was always consistent with the recommended values for laying hens. The middle tier, where nests were located, exhibited a higher humidity and CO₂ and PM concentration compared to the upper tier and floor, suggesting reduced airflow. This result can be related to the reduced length of the experimental barn containing only one row of equipment, which likely affected air circulation and distribution compared to what happens in commercial barns with several rows and a length over 50 m. Hen distribution varied during the day, with hen presence on the floor being highest in the midday (58% of hens) and correlated with increased particulate matter (r = 0.57–0.60; p < 0.001) and NH₃ concentrations (r = 0.33; p < 0.001). Hens occupied the upper tier more in June (34% vs. 24% in January; p < 0.001), correlating with lower humidity and PM levels. Understanding daily and seasonal changes in environmental gradients at different aviary tiers could help optimise ventilation schemes and air quality control and ensure hen welfare, health, and production throughout the laying cycle. Full article

Objective: Muscone (MUS), a primary active component of musk, is known for its significant pharmacological properties. However, its clinical application is limited due to poor water solubility and moderate stability. This study aims to address these limitations by encapsulating MUS within biodegradable γ-cyclodextrin metal–organic frameworks (γ-CD-MOFs) using a solvent-free method to enable oral MUS delivery by improving solubility and stability, pending in vivo validation. Methods: MUS was encapsulated into γ-CD-MOFs using a solvent-free method, achieving an optimal loading rate of 10.6 ± 0.7%. Comprehensive characterization was performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Biocompatibility was assessed using RAW264.7 cells, and molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to study the interactions between MUS and γ-CD-MOFs. Results: Characterization techniques confirmed the successful encapsulation of MUS into γ-CD-MOFs. Biocompatibility studies revealed no cytotoxicity, indicating that the system is safe for drug delivery. Molecular dynamics simulations showed that MUS preferentially occupies the large spherical cages of γ-CD-MOFs, driven by non-covalent interactions. Solubility tests and in vitro release studies demonstrated that the solubility of MUS was improved after encapsulation within γ-CD-MOFs. Stability assessments indicated that γ-CD-MOFs significantly enhanced the thermal and photostability of MUS, with high residual amounts remaining under various storage conditions. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the potential of γ-CD-MOFs to solidify MUS, enhance its solubility, and improve its storage stability, providing a foundation for its future use in pharmaceutical applications. Full article

With the growing demand for sustainable and cost-effective poultry production, optimizing nutrient utilization is crucial. Exogenous proteases enhance protein digestibility, reduce nitrogen excretion, and improve feed efficiency, but their interaction with additives like copper sulfate (CuSO₄) and formaldehyde remains unclear. This study evaluated the combined effects of protease with these additives on amino acid digestibility, performance, and bone quality in broilers. A total of 500 broilers were assigned to seven dietary treatments, each replicated 10 times (six birds per cage) over 21 days (14 days of adaptation and 7 days of evaluation). Treatments included a reference diet (RD), RD + CuSO₄ (600 g/ton, 150 mg Cu/kg), RD + formaldehyde (2000 g/ton), with or without protease supplementation (30,000 NFP/kg), and a protein-free diet. Protease improved protein digestibility (2.50%) and amino acid digestibility (essential: 2.64%; non-essential: 2.52%) in diets with CuSO₄ or formaldehyde (p < 0.05). CuSO₄ alone had no effect, but its combination with protease significantly enhanced crude protein digestibility (4.63%). Formaldehyde reduced amino acid digestibility, but protease mitigated this negative effect (−4.68% vs. −1.81%). Protease also improved feed conversion and bone strength. These findings demonstrate that protease combined with CuSO₄ or formaldehyde optimizes nutrient digestibility, enhances broiler performance, and supports sustainable poultry production. Full article