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1. This study evaluated the effects and mechanisms of action of the peptide gADP3 on hepatic inflammatory injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS).2. Hepatic inflammatory injury was induced in geese by intraperitoneal injection of LPS and gADP3, and the adiponectin receptor agonist AdipoRon (positive control) was used for potential amelioration. Serum inflammatory factor levels, liver function-related biochemical indicators and oxidative stress-related biochemical parameters in the liver tissues were determined. The expression levels of adiponectin and its receptors, inflammation and oxidative stress-related genes and key signalling molecules involved in adiponectin, inflammation and oxidative stress signalling pathways in liver tissues were detected.3. The peptide gADP3 alleviated inflammatory cell infiltration and hepatic inflammatory changes, reversed the decrease in serum albumin (ALB), total protein (TP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) content or activity induced by LPS and increased the activity of the antioxidant enzymes CAT (catalase), SOD (superoxide dismutase) and GSH-Px (glutathione peroxidase).4. The peptide gADP3 upregulated the expression of antioxidant enzyme-related genes GCLC, HO-1 and NQO1 in liver tissues, decreased the levels of inflammatory factors like TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IFN-γ and TGF-β and reduced mRNA expression levels of inflammatory-related genes TNF-α, IL-1β, iNOS and TGF-β. Additionally, it increased the mRNA and protein expression levels of adiponectin and its receptors, as well as key molecules in the adiponectin signalling pathway like AMPK and PPARα. In addition, gADP3 reversed the changes in mRNA or protein expression of inflammatory and oxidative stress signalling pathway-related genes P38MAPK, NF-κBP65, TLR4 and Nrf2 in liver tissues caused by LPS treatment.5. In conclusion, goose-derived adiponectin peptide gADP3, similar to the adiponectin receptor agonist AdipoRon, attenuated LPS-induced hepatic inflammatory injury in geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analysed internal dispersal of zooplankton by waterbirds (endozoochory) in New Zealand, quantifying zooplankton eggs in faecal droppings collected at two lakes, Lake Rotoroa (Hamilton) and Lake Rotorua. Sixty-seven faecal droppings were collected from Mallard Ducks (20), Canada Geese (11), Greylag Geese (6), Black Swans (20) and Australian Coots (10). Fifty eggs were found, with a mean of 0.75 eggs per dropping, indicating that waterbirds consume zooplankton eggs, and that these pass through the digestive system. No significant difference was observed in the abundance of eggs among waterbird species, and no eggs hatched in the laboratory. Our results suggest that waterbird dispersal of zooplankton in New Zealand is occurring, but numbers being transported are low. Further, as non-native waterbirds such as mallard ducks and geese do not migrate in New Zealand to the extent they do elsewhere, they are likely not primary vectors for zooplankton dispersal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the present study was to monitor the dynamics and to measure the safety and efficacy of a live, attenuated, thermosensitive Mycoplasma anserisalpingitidis vaccine candidate, namely MA271, in geese breeder flocks under field conditions. Two rearing flocks were vaccinated with MA271 at 4 weeks of age and boosted at 24 weeks of age by cloaca inoculation (1 ml) and eye-dropping (60 µl). The geese then were transported to multi-aged breeding farms. Two breeding flocks served as controls. Colonization of the cloaca by MA271 showed 75% maximum prevalence between 4 and 6 weeks after the first vaccination. Then the prevalence decreased to 25% until the cooler, humid fall months which coincided with the booster vaccination. Boosting raised cloacal colonization to 100%. No clinical signs were observed in the vaccinated birds. After transportation to five multi-aged breeding farms, the wild-type strain appeared as well as MA271 in three flocks. In one flock, the wild-type strain completely displaced MA271, while in one flock only MA271 was detected. Only wild-type strains were detected in the control flocks; however, due to an HPAI outbreak, both flocks were exterminated before the end of the study. Based on the available data, the median percentage of infertile eggs was 3.7-5.1% in the MA271 vaccinated flocks, and 7.7% in the non-vaccinated flock. In conclusion, MA271 can colonize the cloaca of geese under field conditions. MA271 proved to be safe and presumably protects against M. anserisalpingitidis-induced reproduction losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Melanin distribution typically exhibits a gradient dilution along the dorsal-ventral axis of the body, including in domestic geese. However, the specific genes and molecular mechanisms responsible for this melanin distribution pattern remain incompletely understood. 2. The transcriptomic comparisons were conducted at three embryonic stages, specifically on embryonic d 15 (E15), 22 (E22), and 29 (E29), between the pigmented dorsal skin and the depigmented distal foot. 3. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with melanin synthesis were identified, particularly TYR, TYRP1, and EDNRB2, which exhibited significantly higher expression levels in the dorsal skin at E15 and E22. However, expression levels significantly decreased in later stages (E29). 4. The ASIP gene showed remarkably high-expression levels in the distal feet compared to the dorsal skin post-E22 stage (log2FC: 5.31/6.88 at E22/E29). Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis detected eight terms associated with melanin synthesis and melanosome formation (p < 0.05), including melanosome membrane (GO: 0033162) and melanin biosynthetic process (GO: 0042438). Additionally, KEGG pathway analysis showed significant enrichment of the melanogenesis pathway (hsa004916) at d 22 (E22). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Duck circovirus (DuCV) is one of the most prevalent infectious viruses in the duck industry in China. Although the clinical signs vary, it often causes immunosuppression in the host and leads to secondary infection with other pathogens. Novel goose parvovirus (NGPV) mainly infects ducks and causes short beak and dwarfism syndrome in ducks. However, the incidence of infection in ducks has increased in recent years, and the phenomenon of mixed infection with DuCV is common, resulting in more severe clinical morbidity. However, there are no systematic studies evaluating the presence of mixed infections. In order to investigate the synergistic pathogenicity of DuCV and NGPV co-infection in SPF ducks, a comparative experiment using DuCV and NGPV co-infection and mono-infection bird models was established. The results showed that the clinical signs of short beak, dwarfism and immunosuppression were more obvious in DuCV and NGPV co-infected ducks; the tissue damage of target organs was more serious, and the viral titre in organs and cloacal swabs were more significant compared with those of SPF ducks infected with only one virus. The results indicated that co-infection with DuCV and NGPV could promote viral replication and cause more severe tissue damage and immunosuppression than single virus infection. The present study reveals that the co-infection of NGPV and DuCV has a synergistic pathogenic effect from the aspect of pathogenicity, and the conclusions drawn not only clarify the direction of the subsequent research on the mechanism of co-infection of NGPV and DuCV, but also provide a scientific basis for the research on the co-infection of immunosuppressive pathogens and other pathogens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Outbreaks of fowl adenoviruses (FAdVs) infection with the main clinical signs of hepatitis-hydropericardium-syndrome or inclusion body hepatitis have been frequently reported in ducks and geese in recent years, causing economic losses for the Chinese waterfowl industry. This study investigated 792 samples (391 fattening ducks, 192 breeder ducks and 209 fattening geese) of suspected FAdV-infected waterfowl from 38 farms (21 fattening duck farms, nine breeder duck farms and eight fattening geese farms) in Shandong Province between 2019 and 2022. The results showed a 60.23% infection rate for FAdVs (477/792), while the infection rate for breeder ducks was almost the same as that for fattening geese (55.73% vs. 54.55%). Notably, co-infection with avian influenza virus H9N2 (H9N2), Tembusu virus (TMUV), duck hepatitis virus (DHV), duck circovirus (DuCV), goose astrovirus (GAstV) and duck parvovirus (DPV)/goose parvovirus (GPV) was common among the 477 FAdVs positive cases. Phylogenetic analysis of complete hexon genes of 22 FAdV strains in Shandong Province showed the presence of four species (FAdV-A, C, D, E) and five serotypes (FAdV-1, 4, 8a, 8b, 11). These findings provide the first data on the prevalence and co-infection status of FAdVs in Shandong Province and can be used as a basis for FAdV prevention in the field. Samples of suspected FAdV-infected waterfowl from farms in Shandong Province were collected from 2019 to 2022. Single infections with FAdV were less frequent than mixed infections. 477 out of 792 samples (60.23%) tested positive for FAdV nucleic acids. Detection rate of FAdV was 65.47% in fattening duck farms, 55.73% in breeder duck farms and 54.55% in fattening geese farms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Feathers are an important product from poultry, and the state of feather growth and development plays an important role in their economic value. 2. In total, 120 eggs were selected for immunoblotting and immunolocalisation experiments of ERK and β-catenin proteins in different developmental stages of goose embryos. The ERK protein was highly expressed in the early stage of goose embryo development, while β-catenin protein was highly expressed in the middle stage of embryo development. 3. The 120 eggs were divided into four treatment groups, including an uninjected group (BLANK), a group injected with 100 µl of cosolvent (CK), a group injected with 100 µl of AZD6244 containing cosolvent in a dose of 5 mg/kg AZD6244 containing cosolvent (AZD5) and a group injected with 100 µl of AZD6244 containing cosolvent in a dose of 15 mg/kg AZD6244 containing cosolvent (AZD15). The eggs were injected on the ninth day of embryonic development (E9). Samples were collected at E21.5 to observe feather width, feather follicle diameter, ERK and Wnt/β-catenin pathway protein expression. 4. The AZD5 and AZD15 doses were within the embryonic safety range compared to the BLANK and CK groups and had no significant effect on the survival rate and weight at the inflection point, but significantly reduced the feather width and feather follicle diameter (p < 0.05). The AZD6244 treatment inhibited ERK protein phosphorylation levels and blocked the Wnt/β-catenin pathway, which in turn significantly down-regulated the expression levels of FZD4, β-catenin, TCF4 and LEF1 (p < 0.05), with an inhibitory effect in the AZD15 group being more significant. The immunohistochemical results of β-catenin and p-ERK were consistent with Western blot results. 5. The small molecule inhibitor AZD6244 regulated the growth and development of feather follicles in goose embryos by the ERK and Wnt/β-catenin pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The Wulong goose is a Chinese breed and a source of high-quality meat and eggs. A characteristic of the Wulong goose is that a proportion of the birds do not have eyelids, known as the Huoyon trait. 2. Wulong geese exhibiting the Huoyan trait at embryonic stages of 9 days (E9), 12 days (E12) and 14 days (E14) were selected alongside those with normal eyelids for comprehensive transcriptome sequencing. Differentially expressed gene (DEG) and functional enrichment analyses were performed and finally, eight DEG were chosen to verify the accuracy of qPCR sequencing. 3. Overall, 466, 962 and 550 DEG were obtained from the three control groups, D9 vs. N9, D12 vs. N12 and D14 vs. N14, respectively, by differential analysis (p < 0.05). CDKN1C, CRH, CROCC and TYSND1 were significantly expressed in the three groups. Enrichment analysis revealed the enrichment of CROCC and TYSND1 in pathways of cell cycle process, endocytosis, microtubule-based process, microtubule organising centre organisation, protein processing and protein maturation. CDKN1C and CRH were enriched in the cell cycle and cAMP signalling pathway. 4. Some collagen family genes were detected among the DEGs, including COL3A1, COL4A5, COL4A2 and COL4A1. FREM1 and FREM2 genes were detected in both Huoyan and normal eyelids. There was a significant difference (p < 0.01) in FREM1 expression between ED9 and ED14 in female embryos, but this difference was not observed in male embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The production and reproductive capacity of geese depend on a number of non-genetic factors in addition to genetic factors. The production and reproductive performance of a flock often depends on the influence of non-genetic factors present in the rearing of the flock, such as: applied breeding technology, period of exploitation, age of the flock, body weight of the birds, nutrition, fertility of the males, weight and quality of hatching eggs, and technological procedures during the incubation of the eggs. Productive and reproductive characteristics of geese can be significantly improved by appropriate application of egg production and incubation technology. The application of appropriate breeding technology should be in accordance with the genotype being bred and specific regional growth conditions that allow maximum expression of genetic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptive management (AM) is one approach to manage migratory waterbirds, but obstacles to the implementation of AM require adaptive capacities in the management system (rules, institutions, action situations). This study aims to examine the adaptive capacity of participatory goose management in Sweden. Considering the biophysical and institutional context, we analyzed how tangible, individual, and governance assets were associated with technical and social learning. Interviews with informants in the national council for geese, swans, and cranes, and local management groups (LMGs) were conducted, and documentation reviewed. Results revealed evidence of a local preparedness in areas with an LMG. Nevertheless, the study highlighted a need to formalize the evolving system, to consider a more systematic implementation of AM (including regulations allowing for adaptive responses), and to ensure stakeholder acceptance for management tools and visions. The study illustrates the need for a broad set of assets to ensure learning in participatory management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different free-range systems on the growth performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of geese. Grass pasture zones in the study area were selected, and 28 d-old male Yangzhou geese with similar body weights (1.57 ± 0.12 kg) were randomly allocated to one of three conditions: (A) free-range conditions in the apron area during 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. (10–20 m from shed with grass pasture); (B) free-range conditions in the outer range from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (beyond 50 m from shed with grass pasture); and (C) barn system. Free range-reared geese had higher weight gain after 42 days of age than barn-reared geese, regardless of the range area. A lower feed conversion ratio was found in outer range-reared and apron area-reared geese from 28 to 63 days of age. In addition, the highest percentages of leg and breast muscle weights were observed in outer range-reared and apron area-reared geese, respectively. Finally, outer-range rearing resulted in a lower pH and lower moisture content. Therefore, these data suggest that the outer range system benefits growth performance and feed conversion ratio of geese and results in a higher percentage of leg muscle weight, lower pH, and lower moisture content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study was performed to determine the influence of dietary levels of Azolla on growth performance, blood parameters and digestive enzymes of growing geese. At 4 weeks old, 120 Egyptian goslings were randomly distributed to 4 groups, 30 to each group. Geese were fed four levels of Azolla (0, 4, 8 and 16%) during the experimental period (4–12 weeks of age). No significant differences were noticed among the experimental groups on growth parameters except body weight gain (BWG) during 4–8 wk of age and feed intake (FI) at 8–12 wk of age. Plasma total protein (TP), globulin, total cholesterol (TC) and low density lipoprotein (LDL) levels were significantly increased by 8% Azolla level. However, urea level was significantly decreased in geese fed on 8% and 16% Azolla levels compared to 4% level and control group. Super oxide dismutase (SOD), reduced glutathione (GSH), catalase (CAT), immunoglobulin (IgG), and lysozyme were significantly reduced by all dietary Azolla levels supplementation. Digestive enzymes were statistically affected by Azolla levels. It can be concluded that use of Azolla in Egyptian geese diets at 8 and 16% achieved positive effects on growth performance and most of blood biochemical parameters during the fattening period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin-like growth factors 2 (IGF2) is an insulin-like growth factor that plays a major role in animal growth, cell proliferation and differentiation, as well as reproduction. IGF2 is well-known to be a candidate gene of growth and reproductive traits in many agricultural animals. Our previous study revealed that the G63A (Chr2: G26541617A) mutation within IGF2 exon 1 showed a significant association with egg numbers (E180d) of Sanhua goose population (p < 0.05). However, little work focus on the correlation between the IGF2 mutations and goose growth traits. In this study, qPCR indicated that the IGF2 mRNA highly expressed in leg muscle, liver, ovary and pituitary gland. Meanwhile, association analysis showed that the G63A mutation was significantly associated with the body weight of first-hatched Zhedong-White geese (BW0, p < 0.05), and strongly significantly associated with the BW2, BW4, BW6, BW8 and BW10 (p < 0.01). The GG homozygous had the lowest BW (from 4 weeks to 10 weeks) than those of AA and AG genotypes (p < 0.01), and the allele A was also positively correlated with the BW of the Zhedong-White goose population. Therefore, the G63A mutation in IGF2 may be an important genetic marker for goose breeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This report provides the first record of Prosthogonimus cuneatus infection in Indian peafowl. Chickens, turkeys, geese, ducks, and other pet birds are recognized as direct hosts of Prosthogonimus species; however, P. cuneatus has not been reported to infect peafowl globally. Here, we identify the trematode present in the bursa of the peafowl by both morphological and molecular methods, in addition to the changes in the bursal tissue induced by the parasite, using histopathology. After a necropsy examination, the trematodes were found in the bursa of Fabricius in three peafowl. Morphological and molecular approaches based on taxonomic characteristics and the sequencing of the trematode-specific internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene, respectively, were employed for trematode identification. The consensus sequences were compared to P. cuneatus reference sequences from GenBank. In order to assess the pathology caused by the parasite, a histological study of the bursa was also performed. Trematodes were confirmed as P. cuneatus based on morphology and DNA sequencing. Further, histopathological evaluation revealed mild lymphoid depletion of the bursal follicles in both the cortex and medulla with associated thinning of the bursal follicular lining epithelium. Indian peafowl can act as a natural host of P. cuneatus. This study provides a detailed pathological and molecular analysis of P. cuneatus affecting Indian peafowl. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The caecal microbiota in geese play a crucial role in determining the host's health, disease status and behaviour, as evidenced by extensive epidemiological data. The present investigation conducted 10× metagenomic sequencing of caecal content samples obtained from three distinct goose species, namely Landes geese, Roman geese and Zhedong White geese (n = 5), to explore the contribution of the gut microbiome to carbohydrate metabolism. 2. In total, 337GB of Illumina data were generated, which identified 1,048,575 complete genes and construction of 331 metagenomic bins, encompassing 78 species from nine phyla. Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacteria were identified as the dominant phyla while Prevotella, Bacteroides, Streptococcus, and Subdoligranulum were the most abundant genera in the caecum of geese. 3. The genes were allocated to 375 pathways using the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genome (KEGG) analysis. The most abundant classes in the caecum of geese were confirmed to be glycoside hydrolases (GHs), glycosyl transferases (GTs), as identified through the carbohydrate-active enzyme (CAZyme) database mapping. Subdoligranulum variabile and Mediterraneibacter glycyrrhizinilyticus were discovered to potentially facilitate carbohydrate digestion in geese. 4. Notwithstanding, further investigation and validation are required to establish a connection between these species and CAZymes. Based on binning analysis, Mediterraneibacter glycyrrhizinilyticus and Ruminococcus sp. CAG:177 are potential species in LD geese that contribute to the production of fatty liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The Forkhead box O3 (FOXO3) transcription factor is a crucial regulator in controlling cell metabolism, proliferation, apoptosis, migration and response to oxidative stress. However, FOXO3 has not previously been studied much in the embryonic skin follicles of geese. 2. This study used Zhedong white geese (Anser cygnoides), Jilin white geese (Anser cygnoides) and Hungarian white geese (Anser anser). The feather follicle structure in the dorsal skin during embryonic stages was examined with haematoxylin and eosin (HE) and Pollak staining. The FOXO3 protein content in the embryonic dorsal skin from feather follicles was detected using western blotting and quantitative real-time PCR. 3. The mRNA expression level of FOXO3 in the dorsal skin of Jilin white geese was highly expressed on embryonic day 23 (E23; P < 0.01), while mRNA expression of FOXO3 was highly expressed in the feather follicle of Hungarian white geese at E28 (P < 0.01). The expression of FOXO3 protein mainly concentrated in the early embryonic phase among these goose breeds (P < 0.05). This suggested that FOXO3 plays a crucial role in the development and growth of embryonic dorsal skin of feather follicles. The location of the FOXO3 protein was determined using the IHC technique, which further verified the effect of FOXO3 in the dorsal skin for feather follicles during embryogenesis. 4. The study demonstrated the differential expression and localisation of the FOXO3 gene among different goose species. It was speculated that the gene could potentially improve goose feather follicle development and feather-related traits and provide a basis for further understanding of FOXO3 function in the dorsal tissue of goose embryos. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Determining the optimal requirements from dietary fiber and fat for Egyptian geese is a matter of great concern regarding health, production and growth. Therefore, the current study estimated the effects of different dietary fiber and fat levels on functions of liver and kidney, lipid profile, immunity and antioxidant measurements of the growing Egyptian geese. 150 Egyptian goslings (4 weeks old), with almost the same body weights were randomly allocated into 6 groups (25 goslings/group). All groups were subdivided into five replicates, each replicate contains five geese. Liver and kidney functions, immunity and antioxidant parameters were not significantly affected the different studied levels of fiber and fat or by their interaction. Various levels of fiber significantly affected total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL-cholesterol and VLDL-cholesterol in a concentration-dependent manner and the lowest the lipid profile values were obtained at 12%. In conclusion, the present findings show that use of dietary fiber up to 12% and 5% dietary fat showed no detrimental effects on the immune status and general health of geese and resulted in the preferable lipid profile. This experiment provides a base for further study about the optimal requirements from dietary fiber and fat for the growing Egyptian geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF2) belongs to the member of the insulin-like growth factors family, which plays key roles in animal growth, differentiation and proliferation, as well as reproduction and the regulation of ovarian follicle development. However, little is known about the goose IGF2 gene. In this study, a 1879 bp fragment that covered the complete coding region (CDS) of goose IGF2 cDNA was identified for the first time. The cDNA consists of an open reading frame of 574 nucleotides with the capacity to encode a prepro-IGF-II protein of 187 amino acids, which comprises a signal peptide (24 residues), IGF-II peptide (67 residues), and C-terminal peptide (96 residues), and is closely related to that of chicken. qPCR indicates that the goose IGF2 mRNA is differentially expressed in all examined tissues of fertilized eggs (28 days) and laying Zhedong White geese (270 days). Two novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were detected in exon 1 (G63A, Chr2: G26541617A) and intron 1 (G38A, Chr2: G26541479A) regions, and the synonymous mutation G63A showed a significant association with egg numbers (E180d) of Sanhua goose population (p < 0.05). All the information derived from this study could be valuable and facilitate further studies on the functions of goose IGF2 gene. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new regression-based revealed comparative advantage index is used to analyze Vietnam's exports. Vietnam now has the highest comparative advantage in electronics in the world. It suggests that Vietnam may be a new follower in the "flying geese" style and reinforces the Kojima (2000) view that sufficient inward FDI can change comparative advantage. With detailed FDI and local data, we estimate that this change was brought about by a massive surge of inward FDI amounting to 6% of GDP. Lastly, we opine that while the comparative advantage in footwear may decline, that in electronics may be here to stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In their book I The Typical Tudor: Reconstructing Everyday 16th Century Dress, i Jane Malcolm-Davies and Ninya Mikhaila make an argument for how working- and middle-class people dressed during the Tudor era in England. Each of these garment chapters provides detailed pattern diagrams, construction instructions, interior and exterior photographs of extant garments or fragments of garments as well as process photographs of reconstructed garments made for modern models of a variety of body types. [Extracted from the article]

1. In a non-cage environment, goose eggs are buried in litter and goose feathers, leading to contamination and discolouration. Such random distribution of goose eggs poses a great challenge to the recognition and location for intelligent picking by robot systems on farm. 2. In order to assist in recognition and location of goose eggs in non-cage environments, a novel method was proposed which used three-channel convolutional neural network (T-CNN), composed of improved AlexNet, combined with 'you only look once' (YOLOv5), egg contour curve creation and support vector machine (SVM). 3. Using this method, the original goose egg images were put into the YOLOv5 model for target detection and segmentation. In parallel, the median filter and maximum interclass variance method (OTSU) were applied to egg segmentation images to obtain the main pixels for each, and the Kirsch operator was used for edge extraction and contour curves fitting by designing the fitting curve equation to obtain segmentation images with goose egg contour curves. 4. In order to further enrich the differences between goose eggs and background, the goose egg segmentation images were divided into three colour components: R, G and B, which were put into T-CNN for feature extraction. Then the eggs were classified by vector stitching and SVM, by adding goose egg contour curve images. 5. The recognition and location results showed that about 95.65% of the goose egg pixel blocks in the segmented images were recognised correctly. About 3.81% of the pixel blocks in the segmented images were recognised incorrectly, and the centre of mass offset was about 4.45 pixels. 6. This study demonstrated accurate goose egg recognition and location using the proposed method in a non-cage environment. This highlighted its application prospect in intelligent goose egg picking as well as a possible method to use in other species laying eggs outside the nest (floor eggs) as for example laying hens in non cage systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Myxovirus resistance (Mx) is a protein produced by the interferon-induced natural immune response with broad spectrum antiviral function. However, the role and expression characteristics of the Mx gene in immune defence against viral infection in goose have not yet been reported. 2. This study found a 2576 bp genomic sequence and a 2112 bp mRNA sequence for Mx, encoding 703 amino acids. Multiple sequence alignments of the amino acid sequences showed that the Yangzhou goose Mx (goMx) had 86.99% similarity to the mallard duck (Anas platyrhynchos). 3. Tissue-specific expression profiling revealed that the expression of goMx was highest in the lung and spleen. Both poly (I:C) and GPV were found to elevate the expression of goMx. The upregulated expression of goMx was associated with interferon pathway-related genes IRF7, JAK1, STAT1, and STAT2. Furthermore, overexpression of goMx significantly activated the transcription of poly (I:C) induced TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IL-18. 4. The findings of this study suggest that the goMx modulation of the antiviral response is mediated by the interferon pathway. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Although PRL-PRLR signalling plays important roles in regulating avian reproduction, there is a paucity of information regarding the functional significance of PRLR in goose ovarian follicle development. 2. The full-length 2,496 bp coding sequence of PRLR was obtained from Sichuan White goose (Anser cygnoides) for the first time and was seen to encode a polypeptide containing 831 amino acids. Goose PRLR shares similar sequence characteristics and conserved functional domains to other avian species and was phylogenetically clustered into the avian clade. 3. The qPCR results suggested that the mRNA levels of PRLR significantly increased in primary follicles during weeks 3 to 4 of age and were higher in secondary- than in primordial follicles at week 5 post-hatching, which suggested that the PRLR-mediated signalling could be involved in regulation of early folliculogenesis. 4. The PRLR mRNA was expressed at the highest levels in the prehierarchical 8–10 mm granulosa layers throughout goose ovarian follicle development, indicating a role for PRLR in the process of follicle selection. 5. PRLR mRNA was differentially expressed in the three cohorts of in vitro cultured granulosa cells harvested from different sized goose ovarian follicles, which suggested that PRLR was involved in regulating granulosa cell functions depending on the stage of follicle development. These data provide novel insights into the role of PRLR during goose ovarian follicle development, although the underlying mechanisms await further investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The extracellular matrix (ECM) constitutes the basal lamina and the area between follicular cells. Remodelling the ECM is believed to be a key event in follicular development, especially during selection, and plays an important role in cell migration, survival, and steroidogenesis. miR-199-3p is differentially expressed in the goose granulosa layer during follicular selection and is reported to play a primary role in inhibiting cell migration and invasion. Nevertheless, the effect of miR-199-3p on ovarian follicles and its role in follicular cellular migration is not understood. 2. In this study, qRT-PCR assays revealed that miR-199-3p was differentially expressed in the granulosa layer from goose ovarian follicles before and after follicular selection. Additionally, miR-199-3p overexpression in cultured granulosa cells (GCs) from goose pre-hierarchical follicles significantly suppressed cell viability and migration. It elevated the concentration of progesterone and the expression of key progesterone production genes. Furthermore, miR-199-3p overexpression in the GCs of goose pre-hierarchical follicles inhibited the expression of ECM-related genes (ITGB8, MMP9 and MMP15) yet promoted the expression of another two ECM-related genes (COL4A1 and LAMA1). Finally, dual-fluorescence reporter experiments on 293T cells established the direct targeting of ECM gene ITGB8 by miR-199-3p. 3. In conclusion, miR-199-3p may participate in granulosa cell migration, viability, and steroidogenesis in goose ovarian follicles before selection by modulating ITGB8 and other ECM-related genes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Due to seasonal breeding, geese breeds from Southern China have low egg yield. The genetic makeup underlying performance of local breeds is largely unknown, and few studies have investigated this problem. This study integrated 21 newly generated and 50 publicly existing RNA-seq libraries, representing the hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, to identify candidate genes and importantly related pathways associated with seasonal breeding in male Lion-Head geese. 2. In total, 19, 119 and 302 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were detected in the hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, respectively, of male Lion-Head geese between non-breeding and breeding periods. These genes were significantly involved in the neuropeptide signalling pathway, gland development, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction, JAK-STAT signalling pathway, cAMP signalling pathway, PI3K-Akt signalling pathway and Foxo signalling pathway. 3. By integrating another 50 RNA-seq samples 4, 18 and 40 promising DEGs were confirmed in hypothalamus, pituitary and testis, respectively. 4. HOX genes were identified as having important roles in the development of testis between non-breeding and breeding periods of male Lion-Head geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. An experiment feeding three concentrations of betaine was conducted using breeding geese to analyse the reproductive performance, serum biochemical indexes, egg quality and intestinal immunity. 2. A total of 450 female and 90 male Jiangnan White breeding geese were divided into three treatments, with five pen replicates each containing 30 female geese and 6 male geese. 3. The results showed that there was no significant effect on the reproductive performance, serum biochemical indexes or jejunal villi goblet cells of geese with different levels of betaine in the diet (P > 0.05). Compared with the control group, the addition of 2.5 g/kg betaine to the diet showed a tendency to increase egg mass (P > 0.05) the betaine content in the yolk (P < 0.05). Feeding betaine significantly increased the height of jejunal villi and egg yolk total cholesterol content in female geese (P < 0.05). 4. In conclusion, adding betaine to the goose diet was effective in its ability to improve intestinal structures. Adding 2.5 g/kg betaine to feed significantly increased the content of TCHOL and betaine in goose eggs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Core precepts of the Silicon Valley technology culture include disruption, breaking things, and profiting from the results. As technologies run ahead of regulatory regimes, a great deal of attention has been paid to the organization and evaluation of regulatory processes, from corporate self-regulation, to direct state intervention, and multiple stakeholder governance. However, it is less clear what values or principles should animate these approaches. Public discussions and academic literatures have identified at least four critical areas that require attention: data market and business monopolies; moral dilemmas of AI, such as surveillance and behavioral engineering; a variety of environmental harms; and the spread of hate, disinformation and attacks on liberal democratic values. This analysis develops a holistic framework of guiding principles to address these different problem areas. Without a set of widely shared guiding principles, regulatory approaches will remain fragmentary and weak. Policies in one area may miss or even create problems in others. The aim is not to impose a priori solutions on complex problems, but to offer scholars, regulators, and stakeholders a heuristic framework to guide policy thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To investigate the functions of hexokinase 1 (HK1) in the formation of goose fatty liver, a total of 40 healthy 63-day-old male Landes geese were selected and randomly assigned to a control group and an overfeeding treatment. In addition, the overexpression or RNA interference assay of HK1, and transcriptome analysis after HK1 overexpression were performed in the goose primary hepatocytes. Data showed that the mRNA expression of hepatic HK1 was upregulated in overfed treatment compared to control on the 19 days of overfeeding. The expression of HK1 was increased in 50 mM glucose treatment in hepatocytes. Moreover, overexpression of HK1 tended to increase the relative lipid accumulation level and had weakened fluorescence intensity of reactive oxygen species (ROS), while knockdown of HK1 resulted in a tendency of relative lipid content decrease and had enhanced fluorescence intensity of ROS in cells in comparison to the control. The verification of transcriptome analysis indicated that the expression of ceruloplasmin (CP), acyl-CoA dehydrogenase medium-chain (ACADM), phosphoglucomutase 2 (PGM2), and phospholipase A2 group IVA (PLA2G4A) was significantly induced by HK1 overexpression, while that of enoyl-CoA hydratase, short chain 1 (ECHS1), cytochrome P450 family 2 subfamily C member 19 (CYP2C19), carnitine palmitoyltransferase 1 A (CPT1A), and oxidative stress-induced growth inhibitor 1 (OSGIN1) was inhibited. In summary, HK1 could promote fat deposition by affecting the process of glucolipid metabolism in the formation of goose fatty liver. Additionally, HK1 might decrease the ROS level in hepatocytes by regulating the expression of redox-related genes. The HK1 gene may promote the goose fatty liver production. The HK1 gene may be used as a research target to decrease the reactive oxygen species level in fatty liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The gene IGF2BP1 has been reported as being related to the body size and body weight in ducks, goats and chickens. However, this potential growth-related gene has not yet been reported in geese. 2. The goose IGF2BP1 cDNA (IGF2BP1-X1) is 2,925 bp in length, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 1,731 bp that encodes a protein of 576 amino acids. Six IGF2BP1 transcripts (IGF2BP1-X2∼IGF2BP1-X7) were identified due to the alternative splicing of different exons within the IGF2BP1-X1 transcript. 3. RT-qPCR analysis indicated that the goose IGF2BP1 mRNA was differentially expressed in the examined tissues of female embryos (28 d of development), adult (70 d of age) and laying (270 d of age) Zhedong White geese. 4. In total, 16 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and three insertion/deletion (InDel) variants were detected in several introns and 3'-untranslated regions of the goose IGF2BP1 gene. The 17-bp InDel within IGF2BP1 intron 14 was significantly associated with body weight at six weeks old (BW6, P < 0.05), and extremely significantly associated with the BW8 and BW10 (P < 0.01) of Zhedong White geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. A total of 772, 420-day-old Xingguo grey geese (XGG) were sequenced using a low-depth (~1 x) whole-genome resequencing strategy to reveal the genetic mechanism of wing length-related traits by genome-wide association analysis (GWAS). 2. The results showed that 119 SNPs had genome-wide significance for wing length in five regions of chromosome 4, of which the most significant locus (P = 7.95E-11) was located upstream of RBM47 and explained 7.3% of the phenotypic variation. 3. A total of 219 SNPs located on chromosome 4 were associated with 2-joint-wing length, of which four SNPs reached the genome-wide significant level. However, for the length of 1-joint-wing and primary feather, we did not detect any associated locus. 4. Six promising candidate genes, RBM47, SLAIN2, GRXCR1, SLC10A4, APBB2 and NSUN7 on chromosome 4, may play an important role in the growth and development of feathers, muscles and bones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. This study measured six reproduction traits in a Sichuan white goose population (209 individuals), including fertility, qualified egg rate, plasma concentrations of progesterone (P), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), prolactin (PRL) and oestrogen (E2). 2. Whole-genome resequencing data from the same goose population (209 individuals) were used in a genome-wide association study (GWAS) utilising a mixed linear model to investigate the genes and genetic markers associated with reproduction traits. The frequency of the selected SNPs and haplotypes were determined using the Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) method. 3. In total, 42 SNPs significantly associated with these traits were identified. A haplotype block was constructed based on five SNPs that were significantly associated with qualified egg rate, with individuals having the haplotype CCTTAAGGAA having the lowest qualified egg rate. 4. In conclusion, these results provided potential markers for marker-assisted selection to improve goose reproductive performance and a basis for elucidating the genetics of goose reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a member of the insulin-like growth factor mRNA binding proteins (IGFBPs) family, IGF2BP3 plays important role in skeletal muscle development by regulating IGF2, which has been considered a key gene related to growth and reproductive traits in many agricultural animal species. However, study on the goose IGF2BP3 gene is still scarce. In this study, the full-length cDNA sequence of goose IGF2BP3 gene was cloned and characterized. The goose IGF2BP3 cDNA is 1825 bp in length, containing an open reading frame (ORF) of 1755 bp that encodes a protein of 584 amino acids, which consists of two RNA-recognition motifs (RRMs) and four K-homologous (KH) domains. RT-qPCR analysis indicates that the IGF2BP3 mRNA expression level is the highest in ovary tissue, followed in hypothalamus, spleen, leg muscle and liver, and low level in breast muscle and muscular stomach of the adult Zhedong White goose. Meanwhile, 25 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 5 insertions/deletions (InDels) variants were identified in about 10,764 bp of goose IGF2BP3 genomic DNA sequence. These results serve as a foundation for further investigations of the function of IGF2BP3 gene in geese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the pattern of body growth and intestinal development of female Chinese native geese from 1 to 10 weeks of age. At weekly intervals, from hatch through 10 weeks of age, ten geese were sampled to measure the absolute and relative weight and length of the intestinal segments and overall intestine of geese. The body weight of Bertalanffy (R2 = 0.989), Gompertz (R2 = 0.990), Logistic (R2 = 0.980) and Richards (R2 = 0.982) models showed an increase in the asymptotes at 1–10 weeks old, while the inflection points were at 30.53, 28.56, and 25.59 d, respectively. The relative weight and length of the intestinal segments and overall intestine were decreased linearly (P < 0.01), while the absolute weight and length of the intestinal segments and overall intestine were increased linearly (P < 0.01) during 1–7 weeks old, but significantly decreased (P < 0.01) during 8–10 weeks old, suggesting that the intestinal system was developing rapidly at the starter period based on the intestinal weight and length, but was declining at the later period. The knowledge of growth curve and intestinal development pattern could provide some useful information on the optimum management practices and breeding strategies in geese production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Egg production is seasonally regulated by the photoperiod in geese. To evaluate the effect of the natural photoperiod on egg production, 30 males and 120 females of 270-day-old Wanxi white geese and Yangzhou geese were selected and divided into two groups according to the breed. Both groups were raised under the natural photoperiod. Compared with the Yangzhou goose, the Wanxi white goose had a lower laying rate and higher expression levels of follicle-stimulating hormone receptor and anti-Müllerian hormone receptor 2 (AMHR2) in the ovary at the peak-laying period. Compared with the early-laying period, both breeds had lower serum uric acid and triacylglycerol levels, and higher serum cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels at the peak-laying period. The level of the serum luteinizing hormone (LH) at the pre-laying period was higher than that of the other egg-laying periods in the Yangzhou goose. In conclusion, the photoperiod affected egg production in geese, which was accompanied by changes in serum biochemical parameters and serum reproductive hormone levels. The concentration of the serum LH might be associated with the maturation of ovary and oviducts. In the Wanxi white goose, higher expression of AMHR2 might cause a lower sensitivity of follicles to the level of the FSH. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goose (Anser cygnoides) are highly broody with low egg production, and large number of granulosa cells undergo apoptosis during broodiness. Our previous study has found that miR-34c-5p was highly abundant in the ovary of goose with broodiness phenotype. However, the mechanism that miR-34c-5p regulates granulosa cells function remains unclear. Here, we demonstrated that broody goose had higher levels of miR-34c-5p than that in laying goose by qRT-PCR. The dual luciferase reporter assay showed that Bcl2 was identified as a direct target of miR-34c-5p, which could be negatively regulated by miR-34c-5p. Furthermore, over-expression of miR-34c-5p significantly increased the rate of apoptosis and slowed down the proliferation of granulosa cells by inhibiting the Bcl2 expression, whereas the opposite trend was obtained when granulosa cells were supplemented with miR-34c-5p inhibitors. In addition, Bcl2 mRNA level was lower in goose with a brooding phenotype than that in goose with an egg-laying phenotype. Taken together, the data suggested that miR-34c-5p regulated granulosa cells apoptosis and brooding behavior by targeting Bcl2, which not only contribute to reveal the potential mechanism of miR-34c-5p underlying granulosa cells apoptosis in goose, but also provides an effective strategy to reduce the incidence of broodiness and improve the egg production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese geese are domesticated from wild swan (Anser cygnoides), which have maintained a strong capacity of fat deposit. Fat mainly distributes subcutaneous, abdominal, intermuscular or intramuscular in poultry, and they display some special physiological and biochemical characteristics in different parts. This study aimed to characterize the adipogenesis in intramuscular (IM) and subcutaneous (SC) adipocytes of the goose. Here, IM and SC preadipocytes were isolated from the 26-day-old Yangzhou goose embryos, and subsequently induced them to differentiate into mature adipocytes. The results showed that SC preadipocytes grew a little faster than IM preadipocytes during the logarithmic multiplication phase (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, SC adipocytes accumulated more lipid than IM adipocytes during the differentiation process in vitro (p < 0.01). In addition, the expression level of key genes involved in adipogenesis, including peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ/α (PPARγ/α), CCAAT/enhancer binding protein-α/β (C/EBPα/β), adipocyte fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), and lipoprotein lipase (LPL) were detected. PPARγ, C/EBPα, FABP4, and LPL, were predominantly expressed in SC adipocytes, whereas C/EBPβ was highly expressed in IM adipocytes. Taken together, these results demonstrated that SC preadipocytes tended to grow faster and accumulate more lipid than IM adipocytes, and show greater potential for adipogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To assess the pharmacokinetic profile of ivermectin in Biłgorajska geese (Anser anser domesticus) after single I/V or oral administration, in order to compare these routes of administration and assess oral bioavailability. Ten healthy male geese were used in a single-dose, two-phase study with a 3-month washout period between phases. In the first phase, all geese were given 0.2 mg/kg I/V ivermectin, while in the second phase they were treated orally with the same dosage. Blood samples were collected at selected time points up to 480 hours after each administration. Samples were purified using protein precipitation and drug concentration was quantified using HPLC. The analytical method was validated on blank goose plasma and was characterised by an optimal linearity and a limit of quantification of 0.025 μg/mL. The pharmacokinetic analysis was carried out using a non-compartmental approach. The drug was quantifiable up to 240 hours after I/V administration, while after oral treatment it was quantifiable up to 144 hours in most of the geese. The elimination half-life of ivermectin was approximately 3.8 (95% CI = 1.98–7.92; p = 0.027) times higher after I/V administration compared to oral administration. Moreover, the area under the curve from zero to the last detectable timepoint was 6.4 (95% CI = 4.65–8.74; p < 0.001) hours greater after I/V than oral administration. This difference led to a bioavailability of 20.38 (SD 5.92) %. Following oral administration in geese, ivermectin has a bioavailability of approximately 20%. Further research on the action of ivermectin in the gastrointestinal tract is required along with assessment of tissue residues to allow calculation of withdrawal time to ensure consumer safety. AUC: Area under the concentration-time curve; AUClast: Area under the curve from zero to the last detectable timepoint; AUMC: Area under the first moment curve; Cmax: Maximum concentration; Tmax: Time at maximum plasma concentration [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new regression-based revealed comparative advantage (RCA) index is used to analyze Vietnam's export. Vietnam has the highest RCA in electronics, surpassing Japan, South Korea and China. It suggests that Vietnam may be a new follower of the "flying geese" style and reinforce the view that inward FDI can change comparative advantage if the magnitude is sufficiently large. With detailed FDI and local data, we estimate the FDI which made this happen was roughly 6% of GDP. Lastly, we opine that while RCA in footwear may decline if wages rise, that in electronics may be here to stay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aimed to investigate the effect of varying dietary crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME) quantity on growth, carcass characteristics, biochemical blood parameters and molecular aspects of growing geese. Overall, a total of 180 Egyptian goslings were used in a 2 × 3 factorial design. Two levels of CP (18% and 16%) and three levels of ME (3000, 2900 and 2800 kcal/kg diet) were employed. Growth traits showed no significant differences as a result of different CP or ME levels. Birds fed the higher CP level consumed more feed than the lower. Carcass, dressing, heart, spleen, abdominal fat and thigh percentages within the group fed 18% CP were higher than the other group. Compared with the other ME-based diet, geese fed a low-ME based diet had the highest heart percentage. Feeding growing geese on a 2900 Kcal/kg ME-based diet increased the serum content of total protein and globulin. Geese fed the high-ME diet showed the highest levels of ALP and C4 as compared with other ME levels. Regarding Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), different protein and energy levels did not affect the molecular weight of blood proteins of Egyptian geese during the growing phase. It could be concluded the levels of 16% CP and 2800 kcal/kg ME are enough to maintain the growth performance and the other physiological indices as well as molecular aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. Although amoxicillin has broad-spectrum antibiotic activity and is extensively used in poultry, its use has never been investigated in geese. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacokinetics of amoxicillin after a single and multiple oral doses in geese. 2. A total of 20 geese were enrolled in this study and randomly pooled in two groups (n = 10). In group I, animals were treated with a single oral 20 mg/kg dose of amoxicillin, while geese in group II were administered multiple doses (20 mg/kg/day for 4 d). Concentrations of amoxicillin in plasma were analysed using a validated HPLC-UV method and drug plasma concentrations were modelled for each subject using a non-compartmental approach. 3. amoxicillin showed rapid absorption after a single-dose treatment, with an elimination half-life of approximately 1 h. Cmax, Tmax and AUC values differed statistically between groups I and II (after the first dose administered). A large variability was observed in the pharmacokinetic profiles and drug accumulation may occur after the multiple administration. 4. No accumulation in plasma was predicted from an in-silico simulation performed using the same multiple dosage schedule. The in-silico simulation does not seem to accurately predict in-field conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. The objective of this study was to compare carcase weight and composition and meat quality traits of Landes, Slovak White and Kuban geese after four reproductive seasons. A total of 42 goose carcases (seven males and seven females from each breed) were assessed. 2. After four reproductive seasons, the breeds differed in eviscerated carcase weight. Slovak White geese showed more breast muscle with a cooking loss, whereas Kuban geese had a higher percentage of neck and carcase discards compared to the other breeds. The breeds differed in the chemical composition of breast and leg muscles, except for collagen in breast muscles and protein in leg muscles. 3. Regardless of breed, males had heavier carcase weight and higher breast muscle, leg muscle, neck and wings and lower percentages of skin with subcutaneous fat and abdominal fat relative to body weight compared to females. Sex had a significant effect on the fat and salt content, meat lightness, most textural characteristics and endomysium thickness of breast muscle. The same differences in leg muscles for chemical composition (except for protein percentage) and lightness were recorded. 4. Breed x sex interactions were significant for the proportion of leg muscle, chemical composition of breast and leg muscles (except for leg protein content), muscle fibre cross-sectional area and fibre perimeter of pectoralis major muscle. 5. The results showed that the carcases and meat of the goose breeds after four reproductive seasons were suitable for consumers and meat processors, due to favourable composition, high nutritive value and good technological properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1. NOD1 is a significant member of the NOD-like receptor (NLR) family. Its main role is to identify microorganisms that invade the body, transmit immune signals and regulate innate immune responses. However, the expression and role of the NOD1 in immune defence against infection in geese remain unknown. 2. The RT-PCR method and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) was used to obtain the full-length goose NOD1 (gNOD1) cDNA series. The cDNA for gNOD1 contains 2856-bp nucleotides, i.e. 47-bp 5ʹ UTR, 135-bp 3ʹ UTR, and 1275-bp ORF region, and encodes a 951-amino-acids (AAs) polypeptide chain. The nucleotide sequence of gNOD1 was found more than 90% similar to its homologs from other avian organisms. 3. The qRT-PCR results showed that gNOD1 mRNA was widely distributed in different tissues, but highly expressed in liver, spleen, lung and caecum tissues. 4. Following stimulation of goose embryo fibroblasts (GEFs) with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and polyriboinosinic polyribocytidylic acid (poly(I:C)), the expression of gNOD1 and cytokines, such as IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and TNF-α, changed with the response-efficacy correlation at 24 and 48 h post-infection (hpi). 5. When the goslings were challenged with Salmonella entertidis (SE) and LPS, the expression of gNOD1 was up-regulated at 3 and 6 hpi in the spleen and caecum tissues, respectively. However, after SE infection, the expression level of gNOD1 fluctuated, while in the LPS group, gNOD1 mRNA increased immediately at a peak time of 6 hpi and then steadily declined. These results indicated that NOD1 was associated with the potency to resist bacterial and viral infections in the goose, both in vivo and in vitro. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering Chinese FDI in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the paper attempts to verify if the long-existing 'flying geese' paradigm (FGP) might be used to clarify the headway of Chinese migrating geese transmission of skills and job generation in SSA. Notably, since factory workers' wages have increased in China, small but important migrating geese could, perhaps, be perceived as the vanguard of the flying geese – migrating to SSA to capitalize on those SSA nations with lower costs bases. As a result, the scientific task of this paper rests on answering three questions: Why do we have growing Chinese manufacturing activities in SSA? Are these new Chinese migrating geese bridging the unemployment gap and skills shortage? Also, since the Chinese migrating geese are moving to an environment where operations are cheaper, a third question is to specifically find out if the Chinese migrating geese are in Nigeria, and if they perceive local skills development and job creation to be a salient matter? Against this backdrop, the author argues that these Chinese migrating geese seem to contribute partly in transferring skills and job creation by standing-in as a worthwhile catalyst to upgrade the follower's economy in the process of catching up a leader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Ruddy-headed Goose (Chloephaga rubidiceps) has two separate populations: one sedentary, which resides in the Falkland/Malvinas Islands and one migratory that overwinters mainly in the Pampas region (Argentina) and breeds in Southern Patagonia (Argentina and Chile). The migratory population has decreased considerably to less than 800 individuals and is categorised as Endangered in Argentina and Chile. Knowing the dates at which birds leave the wintering grounds might help to predict the arrival date at stopover sites and breeding areas. We aimed to examine the effect of meteorological conditions on the decision of Ruddy-headed Geese to start spring migration and their migration strategy. We used data from six adults, equipped with satellite transmitters, over 4 years (2015–2018), giving 12 individual departure dates. Weather conditions on departure dates were compared with that during the 15 preceding days. We tested the influence of weather conditions on the response variable measured as a comparison of pre-migration dates versus departure dates. Our results showed that Ruddy-headed Geese departure from their wintering grounds is in association with high wind speed, good visibility and low percentage of cloud cover. The relationship between meteorological conditions and the species decision to start spring migration is essential information for future management plans to prevent potential human-sheldgeese conflicts to escalate along their migration route. Recommendations for the conservation of this species that include implementing mitigation measures to reduce bird collision at human infrastructure, could be applied more specifically during the periods when birds are expected to arrive in each area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural damage by geese is a growing problem in Europe and farmers play a key role in the emerging multilevel adaptive management system. This study explored how characteristics associated with the farmer and the farm, along with experience of damage, cognitive appraisals, emotions, and management beliefs were associated with the perceived adaptive capacity of the goose management system among farmers in the south of Sweden (n = 1,067). Survey results revealed that owning a larger farm, a farm closer to water or formally protected areas, along with cultivating cereal and root crops, were associated with geese evoking stronger negative emotions. Further, more previous experience of damage was related to stronger negative emotions and lower levels of perceived adaptive capacity. However, even more important determinants of perceived adaptive capacity were cognitive appraisals, emotions, and management beliefs. Bridging the ties between individual farmers and the system is important for improved multilevel management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Changes in the management and productivity of farmland affect foraging behaviour in migrating birds. Crops are increasingly being damaged (and farmers are sustaining ever greater economic losses) as a result of large flocks of waterfowl feeding on them. To investigate the differences in the time budget shared between natural grasslands and arable lands, migrating Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) were filmed using digiscoping equipment at a spring stopover site. Four types of activity were noted in connection with habitat types, bird age, position in the flock and flock size. Foraging was the most common activity in both habitats, but was more common in the grasslands than on arable land. The mean times spent on vigilance, resting and other activities were also significantly different between the two habitat types. GLM analysis showed that young birds spent more time foraging than adults but revealed no differences in foraging times between the age categories in grasslands and arable land. In the latter, geese were more vigilant at the edge of a flock and rested more frequently in its centre. No such differences were found in the grasslands. Only resting time was adversely affected by flock size. These findings, which demonstrate that White-fronted Geese are flexible in their use of food resources, could be useful in agricultural management planning in the light of increasing conflicts with farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to clarify whether the most common species of Mycoplasma can be detected in the reproductive organs and the cloaca, as well as in the semen of asymptomatic native Hungarian male geese. As it is necessary for the semen of that breed to be preserved pathogen-free in an in vitro gene-conservation programme, the presence of and sources of infection, as well as prevention of the survival of pathogens following semen cryopreservation, are key issues. Ten asymptomatic, 2-year-old ganders were tested. For the detection of mycoplasmas, samples were taken from both fresh and frozen/thawed semen, cloaca, phallus lymph, testes and vas deferens; that is five samples from each of the 10 ganders. The semen was statically frozen using dimethyl-formamide as a cryoprotectant and stored in liquid nitrogen at −196°C. Species-specific PCR systems targeting M. anserisalpingitidis, M. anseris and M. cloacale were used for screening and identification. Results of this study have shown, for the first time, that (1) among the three Mycoplasma species examined, all were detectable in the indigenous Hungarian ganders, with no clinical signs; (2) the pathogens could be detected in the cloaca, in both fresh and cryopreserved semen samples, but remained undetected within the inner reproductive organs; and (3) as pathogens were able to survive the freezing/storing/thawing procedures, the possibility of vertical transmission of the pathogens during artificial inseminations does exist, which causes problems in the in vitro gene-conservation programmes for this breed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goose is a poultry species modest in terms of breeding conditions that enters breeding relatively late. These birds are characterised by the lowest production of eggs during the season, lower fertility and lower degree of hatchability than any other species of poultry. The productive and reproductive abilities of geese are dependent on genetic and numerous non-genetic factors. The right choice of the genotype, adequate application of breeding technology and incubation of eggs, as well as thoroughly planned selection, can greatly improve the reproductive properties of geese. Selection of genotypes and selection work for their improvement should be in accordance with regional breeding conditions, which allow maximum expression of genetic potential and conservation of animal genetic resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Routine culturing of goose haemorrhagic polyomavirus (GHPV) is cumbersome, and limited data are available about its replication and gene expression profile. In this study, goose embryo fibroblast cells were infected with GHPV for temporal measurement of the viral genome copy number and mRNA levels with quantitative PCR. Accumulation of small and large tumour antigen-encoding mRNAs was detected as early as 9 hours post-infection (hpi), while high level expression of the capsid protein encoding VP1-VP3, and ORF-X mRNAs was first detected at 24 hpi. Elevation of GHPV genome copy number was noted at 48 hpi. The results indicate that the gene expression profile of GHPV is similar to that described for mammalian polyomaviruses. RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS GHPV was propagated in culture of primary goose embryo fibroblast cells. The transcription commenced before the onset of viral DNA replication. The transcription patterns of GHPV and mammalian polyomaviruses were comparable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1.Embryonic stages before birth are crucial for poultry muscle development, as this determines muscle mass in adulthood. This study characterised the distinction in embryonic pectoral muscle development between Wuzong (WZE, small) and Shitou (STE, large) geese (two indigenous goose breeds in Guangdong Province, China) at embryonic days 15 (E15), 23 (E23) and the day of hatching (P1) to gain insights into the regulatory mechanisms of muscle development. 2.The results showed that STE had significantly higher myofibre density during E15-P1 and had significantly larger myofibre diameter at E15 than WZE. By RNA-sequencing analysis, 19 507 genes were detected, and 7121 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified. 3.Gene expression distinctions between breeds began increasing from E23, and WZE had different gene expression profiles compared to STE. A GO analysis of DEGs indicated that myo-genes involved at E15 may influence distinct pectoral muscle development characteristics between WZE and STE. The RT-qPCR results were consistent with the RNA-sequencing analysis. Four muscle structure protein coding genes (MYL2, MYL3, TNNI2 and TNNC2 and three other functional genes (CAV3, CACNA1S and NOS1) were identified in a predicted interaction network. These functional genes may interact with muscle structural protein coding genes to regulate embryonic pectoral muscle development in WZE and STE geese. 4.The study revealed that STE and WZE had divergent embryonic pectoral muscle development patterns and these differences may begin before E15. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]