Revision of some mensural measurements, food preference, and haematological parameters in breeding pairs of blue rock pigeon, Columba livia sampled from punjab Pakistan

The present study describes the haematological profile, feeding preference, and comparison of morphometric characters of blue rock pigeon (Columba livia) breeding pairs. For this purpose, 25 pairs (25 samples per sex) were sampled through Mist nets from district Okara and Bahawalnagar, Punjab, Pakistan. Birds were then anaesthetized with a combination of ketamine HCL (10 mg/kg) and diazepam (0.2 mg/kg) and subjected to morphometric measurements. 5µL blood also was taken from the jugular vein of each anaesthetized bird for haematological analysis. Few pairs were also dissected to remove gastrointestinal tracts (GITs) for food preferences. Results revealed that there are no significant differences in the haematological parameters and feeding preference of breeding pairs of Columba livia. The gut analysis further revealed, the major portion of gut contents consisted of pea and corn in most of the pairs. Regarding the mensural measurements, significant differences were recorded in the body weight, length of the longest primary feather, and chest circumference, whereas the rest of the studied parameters remain nonsignificant between sexes. So, it is concluded that apart from 3 morphometric parameters (body weight, length of longest primary feather and chest circumference), both sexes are alike in term of morphometry, haematology and food preference.

Food Preferences and Dark-side Personality Traits

This study investigated the association between a variety of taste preferences and the Dark Triad personality traits. We noted over twenty studies that linked personality to taste/beverage preference and experience. In this study just under 200 participants completed a personality and food preference questionnaire. Results demonstrated that dark side traits accounted for around ten percent of the variance in tastes, including bitter and sweet as well as alcohol and coffee strength preferences. For a number of the taste preference measures sensation seeking and harm aversive personality traits were particularly influential in determining taste preferences. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Vulnerability for food insecurity: Experiences of indigenous families in the Huasteca Potosina region, Mexico

Indigenous communities in Mexico are vulnerable to food insecurity (FI) due to a series of factors that prevent them from having access to sufficient and nutritious food. Therefore, this population group has the highest chronic malnutrition in the country. Objective: This study describes the FI conditions of an indigenous community in the Potosina Huastec. Methodology: FI was measured with the Household Food Insecurity Access Component Scale (HFIAS). Results: There is food insecurity ranging from concern about food lack, food reduction, and hunger. The 95.57% of households with children under 18 years were in some state of food insecurity, with severe food insecurity dominating. Limitations: Was a cross-sectional study carried out in a community of the Potosina Huastec. However, it is the municipality with the highest degree of marginalization in the area, but the community chosen is the largest in the municipality. Nonetheless, the results can be considered representative of the area. Conclusions: The food security community depends on climatic, socioeconomic, demographic, geographic, cultural factors, food preference conditions, among others. In addressing food insecurity, it is necessary to consider all factors to have a real diagnosis of food insecurity conditions in rural and indigenous communities.

Perinatal exposure to a high-fat diet alters proopiomelanocortin, neuropeptide Y and dopaminergic receptors gene expression and the food preference in offspring adult rats

Exposure to the hight-fat diet may alter the control of food intake promoting hyperphagia and obesity. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of this diet on dopamine receptors (drd1 and drd2), proopiomelanocortin (pomc), neuropeptideY (npy) genes expression, and preference food in adult rats. Wistar female rats were fed a hight-fat or control diet during pregnancy and lactation. The offspring were allocated into groups: Lactation – Control (C) and High-fat (H). Post-weaning – Control Control (CC), offspring of mothers C, fed a control diet after weaning; Control Hight-fat (CH), offspring of mothers C, fed a hight-fat diet after weaning; Hight-fat Control (HC), offspring of mothers H, fed with control diet after weaning; and Hight-fat Hight-fat (HH), offspring of mothers H, fed a H diet after weaning. The groups CH and HH presented greater expression of drd1 in comparison to the CC. The drd2 of CH and HC presented higher gene expression than did CC. HH presented higher pomc expression in comparison to the other groups. HC also presented greater expression in comparison to CH. The npy of HH presented greater expression in relation to CH and HC. HH and HC have had a higher preference for a high-fat diet at 102º life’s day. The high-fat diet altered the gene expression of the drd1, drd2, pomc and npy, and influencing the food preference for high-fat diet.

The present status, distribution, demography, and diet of the Dahl’s Jird

Meriones dahli (Shidlovsky, 1962) was previously accepted to be a subspecies of M. meridianus (Pallas, 1773). However, it was later suggested that they are geographically isolated from each other. Although hybridological studies and differences in certain external characteristics support the idea that M. dahli is a separate species, there are still doubts on its species status, and the exact range of its distribution is not known. In this paper, we provide some taxonomic information about the species, and compare these with the information given in previous studies. We argue that some differences exist among Armenian population regarding external measurements. Recent studies indicate that M. dahli is currently only distributed in Turkey, as an endemic mammal species. We provide predictions about the distribution of M. dahli, and report the estimated population size to its maximum value. Food preference studies for this species, conducted under laboratory conditions, are also introduced for the first time. We discuss the ecological data obtained from field studies, and emphasize that the habitat of M. dahli is about to disappear. Consequently, the protection status of this species should urgently be changed to the CR category and conservation studies must be carried out immediately.

Patterns of Arc mRNA expression in the rat brain following dual recall of fear- and reward-based socially acquired information

The ability to learn new information and behaviors is a vital component of survival in most animal species. This learning can occur via direct experience or through observation of another individual (i.e., social learning). While research focused on understanding the neural mechanisms of direct learning is prevalent, less work has aimed at understanding the brain circuitry mediating the acquisition and recall of socially acquired information. We aimed to further elucidate the mechanisms underlying recall of socially acquired information by having rats sequentially recall a socially transmitted food preference (STFP) and a fear association via fear conditioning by-proxy (FCbP). Brain tissue was processed for mRNA expression of the immediate early gene (IEG) Arc, which reliably expresses in the cell nucleus following transcription before migrating to the cytoplasm over the next 25 minutes. Given this timeframe, we were able to identify whether Arc transcription was triggered by STFP recall, FCbP recall, or following recall of both memories. Surprisingly - and contrary to past research examining expression of other IEGs following STFP or FCbP recall separately - we found no differences in any of the Arc expression measures across a number of prefrontal regions and the vCA3 of the hippocampus between controls, demonstrators, and observers, though we did detect an overall effect of sex in a number of regions. We theorize that these results may indicate that relatively little Arc-dependent neural restructuring is taking place in the prefrontal cortices following recall of a recently socially acquired information or directly acquired fear associations in these areas.

Online Food Delivery Services Among Young Adults in Depok: Factors Affecting the Frequency of Online Food Ordering and Consumption of High-risk Food

BackgroundThe increasing desire of the community towards fulfilling the practical needs of life is currently accommodated by the rapid development of communication technology in the last five years in Indonesia. One example is the emergence of various food delivery applications. This will affect the pattern of daily food consumption in the community. Therefore, this study determined the personal and socio-environmental factors that influence the frequency of online food ordering (OFO) behavior and also high-risk food consumption through online food delivery services (OFDS) among young adults in Depok City. MethodsThis research was a cross-sectional study conducted with 686 participants of young adults aged 20–39 years that lived in Depok City, West Java Province, Indonesia, for minimal the last six months. They were administered a questionnaire through Alchemer, formerly SurveyGizmo. Descriptive statistics were employed for all variables measured. A T-test and a Chi-square test were conducted to determine the factors influencing the OFO frequency and high-risk food consumption through OFDS. Predictor variables were generated using multi-logistic regression models. The predictor for the frequency of OFO behavior was satisfaction toward OFDS (ß = 3.3; CI: 2.4–4.7; p-value = 0.000), while those for high-risk food consumption were personal and socio-environmental factors (ß = 1.8; CI: 1.3–2.5; p-value = 0.001 and ß = 1.7; CI: 1.2–2.4; p-value = 0.001, respectively).ResultsThe personal and socio-environmental factors related to the frequency of OFO behavior were attitudes toward risk, benefit, barriers, features of OFDS, satisfaction with OFDS, socio-environmental influence, perception about OFDS, and online food preference. Furthermore, the factors associated with high-risk food consumption through OFDS were attitudes toward benefit, features, satisfaction with OFDS, socio-environmental influence, perception about OFDS, online food preference, and knowledge of OFDS. ConclusionsSatisfaction, social environment, and food preference play essential roles in OFDS. The findings demonstrated the urgency of conducting further studies to elaborate on the association of OFDS with non-communicable diseases.