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Disrupted sleep due to nighttime eating can raise various concerns, impacting both physical health and overall well-being. Nevertheless, there is a lack of direct evidence linking nighttime eating with the female reproduction system, possibly due to the absence of suitable models. Here, we use the laying hen, a diurnal animal maintained under ad libitum feeding, as a vertebrate model to quantify the impact of nighttime eating on reproduction and aging. To do this, we have built an Arduino-based setup that regulates food availability and exclusively tracks the eating events of individuals. Our data indicate that synchronizing food availability with the natural sleep–wake rhythm substantially improves reproduction and extends healthspan in hens. With reproductive aging becoming progressively more prevalent in contemporary society due to the trend of delayed childbearing, synchronizing eating with the natural rhythm could help mitigate reproductive aging in vertebrates and potentially in humans as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) is an intensive production line that uses recycled water, and that should operate continuously, year-round, at full capacity. The RAS depends on enhanced water quality and minimized fish stressors, and its profitability relies on maximizing economic productivity per unit volume of rearing space. However, RAS operation requires coordinated management of many unit processes and/or operations. The aim of this study was to optimize operating parameters, including the number of fingerlings in the system, their arrival frequency, and fish weight on entry into the system and into the various stages of sorting along the production line. It was also necessary to minimize the start-up period, i.e. the period between establishment and achievement of full design capacity. A simulation model was developed to further the operating company's interests, combining discrete-event and continuous-time stochastic simulations, meta-model and optimal-resource configurations-all to maximize annual profits, subject to operational and environmental constraints. Simulation outputs were monthly sales, fish stocking density (kilograms of biomass per cubic meter) and utilization of each culture tank at any given time, and effects of standing stock biomass and feed load on the biofilters. The simulation results were validated and implemented in an aquaculture farm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]