Search Results (10,131)

The common octopus (Octopus vulgaris) is an excellent candidate for aquaculture diversification, due to its biological traits and high market demand. To ensure a high-quality product while maintaining welfare in captive environments, it is crucial to develop non-invasive methods for testing health biomarkers. Proteins found in skin mucus offer a non-invasive approach to monitoring octopus welfare. This study compares the protein profiles in the skin mucus of wild, aquarium-maintained, and senescent specimens to identify welfare biomarkers. A tandem mass tag (TMT) coupled with an Orbitrap Eclipse Tribrid mass spectrometer was used to create a reference dataset from octopus skin mucus, identifying 1496 non-redundant protein groups. Although similar profiles were observed, differences in relative abundances led to the identification of potential biomarkers, including caspase-3-like, protocadherin 4, deleted in malignant brain tumors, thioredoxin, papilin, annexin, cofilin and mucin-4 proteins. Some of these proteins also revealed potential as bioactive peptides. This investigation provides the most extensive analysis of the skin mucus proteome in the common octopus and is the first to explore how aquarium maintenance and senescence alter the mucus proteome. This research highlights the potential of skin mucus protein/peptides as non-invasive monitoring biomarkers in cultured animals. Full article

The existence of dead broilers in flat broiler houses poses significant challenges to large-scale and welfare-oriented broiler breeding. To ensure the timely identification and removal of dead broilers, a mobile device based on visual technology for grasping them was meticulously designed in this study. Among the multiple recognition models explored, the YOLOv6 model was selected due to its exceptional performance, attaining an impressive 86.1% accuracy in identification. This model, when integrated with a specially designed robotic arm, forms a potent combination for effectively handling the task of grasping dead broilers. Extensive experiments were conducted to validate the efficacy of the device. The results reveal that the device achieved an average grasping rate of dead broilers of 81.3%. These findings indicate that the proposed device holds great potential for practical field deployment, offering a reliable solution for the prompt identification and grasping of dead broilers, thereby enhancing the overall management and welfare of broiler populations. Full article

As important methods of ecofriendly transportation, the supply chain coordination of new energy vehicles (NEVs) is an important issue in the field of sustainability. This study constructs a Stackelberg game composed of a power battery supplier and an NEV manufacturer. To better describe the coordination relationship in the NEV supply chain, we introduce the Nash bargaining framework into the fairness concern preference utility function. Through a comprehensive discussion of shareholding ratios and external environment factors, we discover that the traditional shareholding strategy fails to coordinate the NEV supply chain effectively, as enterprises seek to avoid losing management control, which occurs when excessive shares are held by others. In this context, this study proposes a novel industry–university–research (IUR) shareholding strategy, which can more easily achieve supply chain coordination and improve social welfare. In particular, this study reveals the superiority of the novel strategy in eliminating the double-marginal effect caused by high fairness concern preference among NEV enterprises. Based on these facts, we provide enterprises with optimal strategies under different conditions and offer a government-optimal subsidy to maximize the social welfare function. Full article

Obesity is a major global health concern. Studies suggest that the gut microflora may play a role in protecting against obesity. Probiotics, including lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium, have garnered attention for their potential in obesity prevention. However, the effects of Bifidobacterium-fermented products on obesity have not been thoroughly elucidated. Bifidobacterium, which exists in the gut of animals, is known to enhance lipid metabolism. During fermentation, it produces acetic acid, which has been reported to improve glucose tolerance and insulin resistance, and exhibit anti-obesity and anti-diabetic effects. Functional foods have been very popular around the world, and fermented milk is a good candidate for enrichment with probiotics. In this study, we aim to evaluate the beneficial effects of milks fermented with Bifidobacterium strains on energy metabolism and obesity prevention. Three Bifidobacterium strains (Bif-15, Bif-30, and Bif-39), isolated from newborn human feces, were assessed for their acetic acid production and viability in milk. These strains were used to ferment milk. Otsuka–Long–Evans Tokushima Fatty (OLETF) rats administered Bif-15-fermented milk showed significantly lower weight gain compared to those in the water group. The phosphorylation of AMPK was increased and the expression of lipogenic genes was suppressed in the liver of rats given Bif-15-fermented milk. Additionally, gene expression related to respiratory metabolism was significantly increased in the soleus muscle of rats given Bif-15-fermented milk. These findings suggest that milk fermented with the Bifidobacterium strain Bif-15 can improve lipid metabolism and suppress obesity. Full article

In mariculture facilities, bacterial infections pose significant production challenges, with potentially catastrophic impacts on fish species. Bacterial co-infections are a widespread phenomenon in the natural marine environment, although their impact on aquatic organisms remains poorly investigated. This study aimed to detail the pathological findings associated with a natural bacterial co-infection caused by three different pathogens, namely Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida, Tenacibaculum maritimum and Vibrio sp., as the cause of mass mortality in European sea bass. The fish had been reared in open-net cages in Sicily and later transferred for experimental research purposes to a user establishment after immunization with an inactivated vaccine. Macroscopic, cytological and histopathological examinations were performed on 109 animals, and bacterial species were identified by the 16S rRNA gene. Overall, ulcerative skin lesions, necrotizing myositis and tail rot with occasional tail loss were associated with tenacibaculosis and vibriosis, while P. damselae subsp. piscicida mainly caused granulomatous inflammation in the spleen and head kidney. Finally, an injection site reaction due to the oil-adjuvanted vaccine administered intraperitoneally was observed in the abdominal fat. Understanding the impact of bacterial pathogens is essential to manage the health and welfare of farmed fish, and the importance of a good health monitoring program cannot be overstated to avoid outbreaks and the possible emergence of new pathogens due to the intensification of the production systems, antibiotic resistance and climate changes. The study would also highlight the importance of the quarantine period when animals supplied for research come from aquaculture farms and how the main goal in the near future should be to better define the procedures to provide completely pathogen-free animals. Full article

Renovating aging housing is a critical project at the grassroots of social governance and a significant aspect of public welfare. However, renovation processes often encounter difficulties due to conflicts among muti-level stakeholders, influenced by multiple factors. This paper investigates the stakeholders involved in Elderly Community Retrofit Projects (ECRPs), categorizing them into three primary groups: government organizations, renovation enterprises, and elderly families. Through the study of evolutionary game models, it was found that bounded rational actors continually adjust their optimal strategies in response to environmental changes. The government occupies a central role among stakeholders involved in ECRP. During renovation processes, governments and enterprises should provide elderly households with material or other welfare subsidies as much as possible to promote their active cooperation and participation. The integrity of enterprises is closely tied to the strength of governmental enforcement measures; hence, governments should establish a unified standard system, clarify regulatory content, and foster the orderly development of ECRPs. Full article

Background: Childhood hearing loss is a common chronic condition that may have a broad impact on children’s communication and motor and cognitive development, resulting in functional challenges and decreased quality of life (QoL). Objectives: This pilot study aimed to compare executive functions (EFs) as expressed in daily life and QoL between deaf and hard-of-hearing (D/HH) children and children with typical hearing. Furthermore, we examined the relationship between EFs and QoL in D/HH children. Methods: The participants were 76 children aged 7–11 yr: 38 D/HH and 38 with typical hearing. Parents completed the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), while the child performed a shopping task in the virtual action planning supermarket (VAP-S) to reflect the use of EFs in daily activity. Results: D/HH children showed significantly poorer EFs (as measured by BRIEF and VAP-S) and reduced QoL. Difficulties in EFs were correlated with lower QoL. BRIEF scores were significant predictors of QoL domains. Conclusions: Difficulties in EFs may characterize children with D/HH and reduce their QoL. Therefore, EFs should be screened and treated. VAP-S and BRIEF are feasible tools for evaluating EFs that reflect children’s challenges due to EF difficulties in real-life contexts. Full article

A voluntary, producer-driven welfare benchmarking system has been explored as a way of incentivising welfare improvement in pasture-based beef cattle and providing transparency and accountability to the industry. This study aimed to determine the acceptability and feasibility of measures for inclusion in a welfare benchmarking system and how this is influenced by respondents’ attitudes and beliefs. A survey was disseminated online to Australian producers in July 2020. Producers were asked to indicate the welfare measures (n = 59) they thought most important to check to determine if cattle on pasture-based farms have a good quality of life (QOL) and the feasibility of collecting animal-based welfare data and completing a stockperson attitudes questionnaire. Basic demographic and attitude data were also collected. Responses from 274 producers were included (52% male) with median land size 340 Ha (range 4–500,000) and herd size 200 head (2–200,000). Feasibility was related to QOL attitudes for 11 of the 17 animal-based measures (p < 0.01–0.02). Feasibility was also related to land or herd size but was not affected by other demographics, such as gender. In all significant dependencies, feasibility was reported as greater in those who thought it important to check the corresponding welfare measure. Producers who rated QOL as very important were also more likely to perceive the collection of animal-based data as feasible. A well-designed and targeted programme to educate producers on why certain welfare measures are important will be crucial to increase uptake and retention in a voluntary producer-driven welfare benchmarking scheme. Full article

Human activities in Australia frequently harm wildlife in their natural environments. Veterinary hospitals play an important role in treating individual animals and safeguarding threatened species. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of wildlife patients admitted to veterinary hospitals in Australia. Data from two wildlife hospitals situated in the southeast region of Australia was used to analyse the characteristics of wildlife patients. Avian species constitute the predominant category of wildlife patients admitted to these hospitals (54% and 60%, respectively). However, a large seasonal variation was observed for all types of animals. Traumatic injuries represent the foremost cause for admission for all types of animals; however, reptiles (62%) and birds (56%) were overrepresented in the category. Car collisions emerging as the most frequently encountered source of trauma. Moreover, the study reveals a notable mortality rate in admitted patients, approximately 50%, with an unfavourable prognosis for patients admitted due to trauma or disease. In conclusion, wildlife rehabilitation clearly presents a number of challenges. We recommend limiting rehabilitation patients, especially orphans and those not needing veterinary care, to focus resources on animals in real need. This could improve care quality, conserve resources, and enhance survival and release rates. Full article

This study reflects the evidence-building journey for the Colorado Kinnected kinship navigator program. Colorado Kinnected expands the scope of services, resources, and supports offered to kinship families through an innovative approach that enhances an earlier Kinship Supports Demonstration Project. The Colorado Kinnected target population includes kinship caregivers caring for children and youth of any age with an open child welfare case. The primary purpose of the program is to reduce child welfare involvement by limiting traditional foster care and congregate care use when out-of-home placements are required. A randomized controlled trial was conducted from June to November 2020 to examine the impact of the Colorado Kinnected kinship navigator program on the kinship placement outcomes of 402 children and youth with an open child welfare case in seven Colorado counties. The initial study found that children and youth placed with kinship caregivers who received Colorado Kinnected services were significantly more likely to reunify with their parents after their kinship placements ended than were children and youth who received kinship supports as usual. The sustained effects study featured additional analyses of traditional foster and congregate care entry rates within six months of kinship placement for the same sample of children and youth. Children and youth in the intervention group were significantly less likely than children and youth in the control group to enter foster care or congregate care within six months after the end of their kinship placements. Overall, both analyses indicate that the Colorado Kinnected program promotes sustained permanency among children and youth in formal kinship placements. Data equity analyses to explore the contextual sensitivity of the intervention are detailed, and implications for practice, policy, and research are discussed. Full article

Zoo enclosure design, and housing and husbandry protocols, will always be a compromise between what a species has evolved to do and what is possible to offer in a human-created environment. For some species, behaviours that are commonly performed in the wild may be constrained by husbandry practices that are used for ease or aesthetics or are accepted conventions. As zoos place more emphasis on positive animal welfare states, zoo enclosures should be scrutinised to check that what is provided, in terms of useful space, appropriate replication of habitat features, and maximal potential for natural behaviour performance, is relevant to the species and individuals being housed. For some species, zoos need to grapple with tough questions where the answer may not seem immediately obvious to ensure they are continuously improving standards of care, opportunities for the performance of species-typical behaviours, and advancing the attainment of positive welfare states. Determining the importance of flight, for example, and what this behaviour adds to the quality of life of a zoo-housed bird, is an important question that needs addressing to truly advance aviculture and how we determine bird welfare. This paper provides questions that should be answered and poses measures of what flight means to a bird, to provide evidence for the development and evolution of zoo bird housing. If we can devise some way of asking the animals in our care what they need, we can more firmly support decisions made that surround enclosure design, and housing decisions. Ultimately, this means gathering evidence on whether birds like to fly (e.g., from birds in training or demonstration activities) by applying mixed methods approaches of behavioural analysis, data on wild ecology, qualitative behavioural assessment, and cognitive bias testing to develop a robust suite of tools to address avian welfare considerations. Avian welfare scientists should attempt to define what meaningful flight is (i.e., flight that truly suggests a bird is flying) in order to support guidelines on aviary dimensions, space allowance, and welfare outputs from birds in both flighted and flight-restricted populations, and to determine what is most appropriate for an individual species. Changing the term “best practice” husbandry guidelines to “better practice” husbandry guidelines would instil the importance of regular review and reassessment of housing and management suitability for a species to ensure such care regimes remain appropriate. With an increasingly welfare-savvy public visiting zoos, it is essential that we seek more evidence to support and justify how birds are kept and ultimately use such evidence to enact changes to practices that are shown to infringe on avian welfare. Full article

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) represents a pressing global health challenge with implications for developmental progress, as it increasingly manifests within pathogenic bacterial populations. This phenomenon leads to a substantial public health hazard, given its capacity to undermine the efficacy of medical interventions, thereby jeopardizing patient welfare. In recent years, an increasing number of machine learning methods have been employed to predict antimicrobial resistance. However, these methods still pose challenges in single-drug resistance prediction. This study proposed an effective model for predicting antimicrobial resistance to E. Coli by utilizing the eXtreme Gradient Boosting model (XGBoost), among ten other machine learning methods. The experimental results demonstrate that XGBoost outperforms other machine learning classification methods, particularly in terms of precision and hamming loss, with scores of 0.891 and 0.110, respectively. Our study explores the existing machine learning models for predicting antimicrobial resistance (AMR), thereby improving the diagnosis as well as treatment of infections in clinical settings. Full article

Mortality in children accounts for 15% of all AIDS-related deaths globally, with a higher burden among Cameroonian children (25%), likely driven by poor virological response. We sought to evaluate viral suppression (VS) and its determinants in a nationally representative paediatric and young adult population receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART). A cross-sectional and multicentric study was conducted among Cameroonian children (<10 years), adolescents (10–19 years) and young adults (20–24 years). Data were collected from the databases of nine reference laboratories from December 2023 to March 2024. A conditional backward stepwise regression model was built to assess the predictors of VS, defined as a viral load (VL) <1000 HIV-RNA copies/mL. Overall, 7558 individuals (females: 73.2%) were analysed. Regarding the ART regimen, 17% of children, 80% of adolescents and 83% of young adults transitioned to dolutegravir (DTG)-based regimens. Overall VS was 82.3%, with 67.3% (<10 years), 80.5% (10–19 years) and 86.5% (20–24 years), and p < 0.001. VS was 85.1% on a DTG-based regimen versus 80.0% on efavirenz/nevirapine and 65.6% on lopinavir/ritonavir or atazanavir/ritonavir. VS was higher in females versus males (85.8% versus 78.2%, p < 0.001). The VS rate remained stable around 85% at 12 and 24 months but dropped to about 80% at 36 months after ART initiation, p < 0.009. Independent predictors of non-VS were younger age, longer ART duration (>36 months), backbone drug (non-TDF/3TC) and anchor drug (non-DTG based). In this Cameroonian paediatric population with varying levels of transition to DTG, overall VS remains below the 95% targets. Predictors of non-VS are younger age, non-TDF/3TC- and non-DTG-based regimens. Thus, efforts toward eliminating paediatric AIDS should prioritise the transition to a DTG-based regimen in this new ART era. Full article

This study evaluated the anaesthetic potential of clove basil (Ocimum gratissimum) essential oil (EO-OG) in the post-larvae (PLs) of M. rosenbergii. The PLs were individually transferred to aquariums (500 mL) containing 50, 100, 150, 200, or 300 μL L⁻¹ EO-OG. A sixth group of PLs was exposed to freshwater only, and a seventh group was exposed to the highest concentration of ethanol used to dilute EO-OG. Upon reaching the anaesthesia stage, the PLs were transferred to aquariums (500 mL) with freshwater only to evaluate the recovery time. The shortest sedation times were observed at 200 (15.98 s) and 300 μL L⁻¹ (25.85 s). The shortest anaesthesia time was observed at 200 μL L⁻¹ (22.52 s). The longest recovery time was observed at 100 μL L⁻¹ (1367.10 s); the shortest recovery time was observed at 150 μL L⁻¹ (630.10 s). No mortality or adverse effects were observed in any experimental group. The concentration of 150 μL L⁻¹ resulted in sedation (49.24 s), anaesthesia (80.10 s), and recovery (630.10 s) times within those suggested as adequate for freshwater prawn farming. This research demonstrated the sedative and anaesthetic properties of EO-OG and its potential application in prawn farming. This study recommends using 150 μL L⁻¹ of EO-OG in M. rosenbergii PLs. Full article

Inherited and current trends of urbanization result in growing agri–urban mixed land use patterns that strongly call for innovative management and planning tools at the urban/rural interface. This could especially help to cope with both resilience and environmental fairness goals. In this framework, the category of the Agriculture Park (AP) deserves much attention in relating meaningful experiences, especially in Mediterranean areas. This article deepens the category with the aim of assessing its features as a viable tool in the planning domain to jointly protect and enhance peri-urban farmland areas. In particular, the adopted methodology taps into an integrated and holistic approach to define and assess, by design, a multi-purpose model of a Public Agri–urban Park (PAP) drawing on the Public–Private Partnership (PPP) management model (using break-even analysis to define the contents of the PPP itself), inhabitants’ participation, and referring to a typical fringe area in the municipality of Prato (Italy). Results show the potential of the PAP to jointly achieve—according to a proactive model of green spaces’ protection—many sustainable design targets along with new forms of services aimed at social welfare. At the same time, the article highlights the call for public bodies and agencies to overcome the “business as usual” and “silo-framed” institutional approach and establish fruitful collaborative and synergistic co-design procedures with inhabitants and local stakeholders. Full article