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Measuring corticosterone concentrations in broiler muscle: Analytical validation of an enzyme immuno assay kit and relationships with total plasma concentrations
Full text linkCorticosterone (CCS) concentration in chicken skeletal muscle could be a potential Animal-Based Measure that could give ex-post indications of adaptive responses to different farming systems and management practices. The aim of the present trial was to measure CCS concentrations in chicken skeletal muscle and assess their relationship with total plasma CCS concentrations. Blood and muscle samples were recovered respectively at the beginning and the end of an industrial slaughter line from 48 identified female broilers aged 84 d. Muscle juice samples were obtained by high-speed centrifugation, and analytical validation of a commercial CCS EIA kit has been carried out. Regarding repeatability (precision), intra-assay coefficient of variation (CV, n = 12 replicates) resulted 4.2 %. Inter-assay CV (2 replicates in n = 4 assay sessions) was 11.9 %. The line resulting from serial dilutions of a pooled muscle juice sample has been compared with the calibrators line for parallelism and with the expected values line for linearity. The slopes of the obtained and calibrators lines were not different (F = 4.082, P = 0.090). A strong correlation was found between the observed and expected concentrations (Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.991, P < 0.001). The mean RR (recovery rate, accuracy) of different quantities of hormone added to the pooled muscle juice was 90.0 ± 1.6 %. The mean CCS concentration in muscle juice samples was 455.1 ± 46.8 pg/mL (range from 47.5 to 1,340.0 pg/mL). The mean total plasma CCS concentration was 11.2 ± 0.4 ng/mL (range 7.0 to 19.5 ng/mL). The mean ratio of individual muscle:plasma CCS concentration was 0.040 ± 0.004, ranging from 0.005 to 0.133. Muscle and plasma CCS levels were moderately correlated (r = 0.324, P = 0.025). It is concluded that this EIA kit can provide reliable results for measuring CCS concentrations in juice obtained by high-speed centrifugation of chicken muscle, directly without previous extraction. Such a method can be a further tool for the assessment of animal physiological responses, stress, and welfare
MULTI-TAXON MONITORING IN THE STRICT NATURE RESERVE “MONTAGNA DI TORRICCHIO” (ITALY)
No full textGlobal climate changes and the intensification of human activities may threaten biodiversity at various spatial and temporal scales, in turn compromising nature’s contributions to people’s life. Efficient and effective monitoring surveys become pivotal to measure biodiversity changes. We performed a biodiversity investigation applying a multi-taxon approach through the project “Monitoring Integrated Multi-taxon Biodiversity” (MIMTB). We monitored nine plots in the beech forests of the Strict Nature Reserve of ”Montagna di Torricchio” (also
part of the International Long Term Ecological Research Network (ILTER)). Sampling lasted from April to October 2024, and we applied standardised protocols for seven taxa: vascular plants, bryophytes, lichens, saproxylic insects, earthworms, soil arthropods, micro- and
macro-fungi. We also evaluated the canopy cover and forest structure together with climatic variables such as air humidity and temperature. We aim to: i) infer patterns and drivers of multi-taxon diversity; ii) investigate relationships among the different taxa and between
species richness and forest structure; iii) test new approaches and schemes of biodiversity investigations; iv) obtain a checklist of species, also detecting the occurrences of threatened species for conservation purposes
RETHINKING RECONSTRUCTION FOLLOWING A NATURAL OR MAN-MADE CATASTROPHE: HOLISTIC APPROACH AND PARTICIPATORY PROCESS AS KEY STRATEGIES
No full textIn everyday language, “disaster” and “catastrophe” are terms often used interchangeably, even if there is an important distinction between the two, especially concerning their impact scale and the level of sustained
support needed for recovery. Generally, a catastrophe is a specific type of disaster that is so large. It exceeds a community's ability to cope. According to the Center for Disaster Philanthropy [2] , a house fire affecting a single family might be classified as an accident, while a fire that engulfs several city blocks would be termed
a disaster. In contrast, a wildfire that devastates multiple communities, prompting mass evacuations and necessitating extensive reconstruction, is classified as a catastrophe.
“Rebuilding” is always a complex, lengthy, and uncertain process. It involves various fields such as
construction, engineering, and urban planning; it addresses a mix of social, anthropological, environmental, and psychological issues. This is even more dramatically true in contexts of man-made or natural events, such
as wars, earthquakes, or floods. To approach this topic critically and thoughtfully, it is essential to define what a disaster or a catastrophe “ontologically” are, and what consequences, in the short and long terms, they imply. When distinguishing between the words "disaster" and "catastrophe," it is helpful to focus on the latter
due to its more significant consequences. Additionally, the etymology of catastrophe” effectively highlights its impact on human systems about these events
EXPLORING PATTERNS OFINTRASPECIFICTRAIT VARIABILITY IN ENDEMIC AND NON-ENDEMIC SPECIES: INSIGHTS FOR CONSERVATION STRATEGIES
No full textMost of the plant diversity in temperate forests is found in the understorey, a vital layer for ecosystem functioning that is increasingly threatened by global changes. Conserving under storey diversity and processes is a central objective of the EU biodiversity and forest strate
gies for 2030. Italian woodlands host a rich endemic flora, comprising 134 taxa, many of which inhabit the understorey. These species are often geographically restricted and highly sensitive to forest management, wildfires and climate change. However, knowledge about their distribution, population dynamics, and ecological roles remains scarce. The FORENDEMICS project aims to investigate the functional traits of endemic forest species to improve ecological understanding and develop effective, targeted conservation strategies. In this study, we employed an innovative trait-based approach to evaluate patterns of intraspecific trait variability in endemic species and their taxonomically closest non-endemic relatives: Crocus etruscus vs. Crocus neglectus, Glechoma sardoa vs. Glechoma hederacea,
and Knautia gussonei vs. Knautia drymeia. We sampled four populations of each endemic species across different environmental conditions and compared them with four populations of their non-endemic counterparts. Eleven functional traits were analyzed, spanning above and below-ground plant compartments: leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf nitrogen concentration, specific leaf area, flower size, flower mass per area, root nitrogen concentration, spe
cific root length, lateral spread, and bud banksize. Thesetraits capturekeystrategies related to resource use, sexual reproduction, spatial occupation, and resprouting after disturbance,
offering a comprehensive view of species’ functional space in relation to their endemic status. Preliminary statistical analyses suggest no consistent patterns in functional trait differences between endemic and non-endemic species. Differences in functional traits appears
to occurprimarily at thepopulationlevel, rather than the species level. Environmental factors likely play a more significant role in shaping functional traits, irrespective of endemic status. Further statistical analyses are underway to confirm or refine these initial findings
Assessing the health of farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): use of an open-source software for intestine histology
No full textOpen-source software are providing opportunities and advantages to operators in several fields as fish welfare. This study is part of a 90-days feeding trial where three diets were tested in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). By substituting guar meal protein concentrate
(MYCOPRIME®) for 0% (CD), 5% (D5), and 15% (D15) of traditional
protein sources, the diets were formulated to have a protein level of 43% and a lipid content of 25.3%. The proximal intestines of 15 rainbow trout per diet were sampled and Haematoxylin and Eosin staining was applied to histological sections, performing a blind, semi-quantitative assessment. Every section was thoroughly examined at low (10×) and medium (20×) magnification, considering as pathological traits: inflammation (eosinophilic granular cells, goblet cell hyperplasia, and infiltration of macrophages); intraepithelial lymphocytes; steatosis in enterocytes. A score from 0 to 3, corresponding to the severity degree of the microscopical tissue structure modification, has been allocated to all the parameters
evaluated. Additionally, the histological sections were stained using Alcian Blue kit to study the goblet cells. For each sample, four random microscopical fields were chosen and 20x magnification images were taken. Consequently, the opensource program ImageJ (Fiji) was used for a quantitative assessment of the goblet cells. The algorithm was then trained to recognize Alcian blue-stained vacuoles, omitting smaller areas than 20 pixels2, since these areas would have been
too small to be a true vacuole (Figure 1). For the statistical analysis, GraphPad Prism 9 was used and Kruskal–Wallis and a Dunn's multiple comparisons tests performed (p-value<0.05 significant). The CD group had the highest histological score, while the D15 group had the lowest (p<0.001). Goblet cell hyperplasia showed significant differences between the CD group and the D15 group and even the goblet cell count difference resulted to be significant (p<0.001). According to a recent study, the proximal intestine of healthy rainbow trout has much larger vacuoles and significantly more goblet cells [1], suggesting a potential function in gut health. The smaller number of goblet cells in the D15 group may be associated to the animals' poorer zootechnical performances when no other pathological alterations are present. The quantitative histological assessment by means of the software permitted a more comparable and clear differentiation of the effects of the diets. In conclusion, guar meal protein concentrate was shown to be suitable for use in rainbow trout feed formulation during the growing period, although the effect on the intestinal mucosa should be further developed
How cosmological expansion affects communication between distant quantum systems
No full textA quantum communication protocol between harmonic oscillator detectors, interacting with a quantum field, is developed in a cosmological expanding background. The aim is to see if the quantum effects arising in an expanding universe, such as the cosmological particle production, could facilitate the communication between two distant parts or if they provide an additive noisy effect. By considering a perfect cosmic fluid, the resulting expansion turns out to increase the classical capacity of the protocol. This increasing occurs for all the cosmological expansions unless the latter is sharpened just before the receiver's detector interacts with the field. Moreover, the classical capacity turns out to be sensible to the barotropic parameter w of the perfect fluid and to the coupling between the field and the scalar curvature ζ. As a consequence, by performing this protocol, one can achieve information about the cosmological dynamics and its coupling with a background quantum field
Characterization of the macronuclear and micronuclear pheromone genes of Euplotes raikovi reveals the origin of the mating type genetic diversity
No full textCiliates produce diffusible, cell-type-specific pheromones to regulate growth and mating. In Euplotes, these signaling molecules belong to species-specific families of disulfide-rich and structurally homologous proteins. Pheromones are co-dominantly expressed by genes in the somatic macronucleus (MAC), whereas their allelic diversity originates from the mating type locus in the germline micronucleus (MIC). During MAC development in sexual process, the MIC-derived diversity of specific alleles is rearranged via macronucleus-destined sequences (MDSs) assembly. While many MAC pheromones are well characterized, their MIC precursors and rearrangement process remain unknown. Here, we identified two MAC pheromone genes (mac-er-13/14) of E. raikovi, and two MIC regions (19 kb in total) containing 10 MDSs that assemble into mac-er-13. These MDSs are separated by internal eliminated sequences (234-3345 bp). The shortest MDSs (9-36 bp) encode the secreted region of pheromone, while longer MDSs (44-419 bp) encode other regions. Considering that the secreted regions show a higher sequence variation and the shorter MDSs have higher probability of alternative processing or imprecise assembly, we hypothesize that the high sequence variability of the macronuclear pheromone genes, which underlies the large number of mating types in E. raikovi, may result from alternative processing or imprecise assembly of these short MDSs
Mechanical characterization of a membrane with an on-chip loss shield in a cryogenic environment
No full textThe quantum transduction of an rf/microwave signal to the optical domain, and vice versa, paves the way for technologies that exploit the advantages of each domain to perform quantum operations. Since electro-optomechanical devices implement a simultaneous coupling of a mechanical oscillator to both an rf/microwave field and an optical field, they are suitable for the realization of a quantum transducer. The membrane-in-the-middle setup is a possible solution, once its vibrational mode is cooled down to ultra cryogenic temperature for achieving quantum operation. This work is focused on the mechanical characterization via an optical interferometric probe, down to T = 18 mK , of a loss-shielded metalized membrane designed for this purpose. A stroboscopic technique has been exploited for revealing a mechanical quality factor up to 64 × 10 6 at the lowest temperature. In fact, with continuous illumination and a cryostat temperature below 1 K , the heat due to optical absorption is not efficiently dissipated anymore, and the membrane remains hotter than its environment