A qualitative exploration of mixed feeding intentions in first-time mothers

Background Breastfeeding intention can predict breastfeeding behaviour and is influenced by theory of planned behaviour constructs. Despite associations with reduced breastfeeding duration, there is a lack of research to explore the intention to mixed feed infants. Aims This study aimed to explore the factors that influence pregnant women's intentions to mixed feed their first child. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted with four women pregnant with their first child who intended to mixed feed. An in-depth idiographic multiple case study approach grounded in a ‘subtle realist’ epistemology was used. Results The interviews highlighted the importance of flexibility in feeding decisions, a perception of breastfeeding as restrictive and obstructive to normality and the presence of misinformation and unrealistic expectations about breastfeeding. Conclusions Women need to be informed and supported by professionals, peers, families and broader communities. Cultural narratives must be challenged to enable mothers to feel in control of feeding decisions and without the need to justify feeding activities to protect themselves from anticipated negative emotions.

Livestock Holding and Time Spent by Farm Women in Dairying Activities in Andhra Pradesh

A study was conducted to investigate the involvement of women in dairying activities in Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. The study involved a total of 225 respondents covering 75 villages. The result revealed that small farm women possessed significantly (P≤0.05) more graded Murrah buffaloes (3.68±0.28), whereas women under medium farm category possessed significantly (P≤0.05) more number of local cows (0.28±0.07), Murrah buffaloes (0.45±0.21) as well as more (P≤0.01) buffalo heifers (1.22±0.14). The milk production (litres per day) (13.25±0.80), consumption (1.48±0.06) and milk consumption by women (0.16±0.07) was observed to be high in medium women dairy farmers in the study area. Milk sale per day was observed to be significantly (P≤0.05) high in small farmers (14.20±1.90). Small farm women (587.00±81.70) obtained more income (rupees/day) through dairying followed by medium (516.34±54.35) and landless (385.66±32.39) farm women. It was observed that women are spending more time on dairy activities in the study area compared to men. The time spent was more on feeding activities.

Effectiveness of Different Soft Acaricides against Honey Bee Ectoparasitic Mite Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae)

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) are essential for their products—honey, royal jelly, pollen, propolis and beeswax. They are also indispensable because they support ecosystems with their pollination services. However, the production and functions of honey bees are hindered by the arthropod pest Varroa destructor, which attacks bees through its feeding activities. Efforts to control varroa mites have been made through the development of various synthetic pesticide groups, but have had limited success because the mites developed resistance and some of these pesticides are harmful to bees. Branded pesticides are rarely used in Pakistan, as beekeepers utilize acaricides from unknown sources. There is a need to create awareness of available naturally occurring acaricides that may serve as an alternative to synthetic acaricides. Although some naturally occurring compounds are considered toxic to the environment, the soft acaricides oxalic acid, thymol, and formic acid 65% are usually safe for honey bee colonies and beekeepers, when handled appropriately. The current study investigated the effectiveness of formic acid (10, 15, and 20 mL/hive), oxalic acid (4.2, 3.2, and 2.1%/hive), and thymol (6, 4, and 2 g/hive) in controlling mite infestation. The results indicated that all treatments significantly reduced the mite population (p < 0.05). The average efficacies of oxalic acid at 3.2% (94.84% ± 0.34) and 4.2% (92.68% ± 0.37) were significantly higher than those of the other treatments. The lowest efficacy was recorded in formic acid 65% at 10 mL (54.13%). Overall, the results indicated that soft acaricides—such as oxalic acid at 3.2% and 4.2% concentrations—are very effective at controlling varroa mites and can be used in broodless conditions without side effects.

The habitat characteristics of Sumatran Elephant (Elephas maximus sumatranus) in the forest of Serbajadi sub-district Aceh Province

The purpose of this study was to determine the habitat characteristics of the Sumatran Elephant in the Serbajadi District Forest. Data collection by looking at the use of habitat which is characterized by the distribution of faeces found in various habitat units in the home range of the Sumatran Elephant. The method used is observation with a track with a size of 3,600 m which is divided into 20 observation plots with a distance between plots of 100 m. The data obtained in the field were analyzed descriptively and presented in tabular form. The results of this study indicate that the Habitat Characteristics of the Sumatran Elephant in the Serbajadi District Forest chose habitat units with very dense canopy cover (>75%), moderate feed availability (26-50%), rare mineral source trees availability (< 3 trees/plot). availability of sparse scrubbing trees (<3 trees/plot), close to primary forest (0-500 m), low land elevation (0- 400 masl), gentle slope (0-20°), close to water sources (0-250m). Secondary forest/vegetation type and frequency of habitat use based on the findings of faeces that the Sumatran elephant most frequently visited was secondary forest than primary forest because the secondary forest was for feeding activities while the primary forest was used for resting and reproduction.

DNA metabarcoding reveals fine scale geographical differences of consumed algae in the Galápagos marine iguanas (Amblyrhynchus cristatus)

Galápagos marine iguanas are primarily associated with the marine environment and show special nutritional adaptations. They are the only lizards worldwide that forage on marine macroalgae. Until now, consumed algae have been identified by direct observations during their feeding activities and microscopic identification in faeces samples. In this study, we use a novel DNA metabarcoding approach to identify consumed algal species from the faeces of marine iguanas. We developed primers for the ribulose-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL) gene and applied a metabarcoding approach to 25 individual faeces samples collected in four representative sites of two subspecies (Amblyrhynchus cristatus mertensi and A. c. godzilla), found in the San Cristóbal Island. We detected 18 consistently occurring macroalgal operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Most of the OTUs were assigned to Rhodophyta (red algae) and only one OTU to Chlorophyta (green algae). Despite the number of consumed algal species did not differ between two subspecies (OTU richness; P = 0.383), diet overlap level between A. c. mertensi and A. c. godzilla was low (Schoener index = 0.345), suggesting that both subspecies consumed different algal species in their natural environment. Further studies are needed to understand whether the difference of consumed algae reflects disparities in the abundance of algal species between sites, or whether iguanas of the two genetically differentiated subspecies prefer distinct algal species.

Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in the Ligurian Sea: Preliminary Study on Acoustics Demonstrates Their Regular Occurrence in Autumn

The patterns of movement of the fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)) in the Mediterranean Sea are still a matter of debate. Feeding aggregations are well known in the Corso-Liguro-Provençal Basin from July to September, but little is known for the autumn and winter seasons. Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) was implemented in the Ligurian Sea to overcome this gap and to investigate the temporal and spatial variation of fin whale acoustic presence. From July to December 2011, five autonomous recorders were deployed at between 700 and 900 m depths. Fin whale calls were automatically detected almost every day, with higher vocalization rates in October, November, and December. Furthermore, daily vocalization rates were higher during light hours, and closer to the coast. These outcomes suggest that not all the individuals migrate, staying in the area also during autumn for feeding or breeding purposes. The dial cycle of vocalization might be related to feeding activities and zooplankton vertical migration, whereas the proximity to the coast can be explained by the morphology of the area that promotes the upwelling system. Although this work only represents a six-month period, certainly it suggests the need for a larger spatial and temporal PAM effort, crucial for species management and for mitigating possible impact of anthropogenic activities at the basin level.

High-Throughput Feeding Bioassay for Lepidoptera Larvae

Finding plant cultivars that are resistant or tolerant against lepidopteran pests, takes time, effort and is costly. We present here a high throughput leaf-disk consumption assay system, to screen plants for resistance or chemicals for their deterrence. A webcam capturing images at regular intervals can follow the feeding activities of 150 larvae placed into individual cages. We developed a computer program running under an open source image analysis program to analyze and measure the surface of each leaf disk over time. We further developed new statistical procedures to analyze the time course of the feeding activities of the larvae and to compare them between treatments. As a test case, we compared how European corn borer larvae respond to a commercial antifeedant containing azadirachtin, and to quinine, which is a bitter alkaloid for many organisms. As expected, increasing doses of azadirachtin reduced and delayed feeding. However, quinine was poorly effective at the range of concentrations tested (10–5 M to 10–2 M). The model cage, the camera holder, the plugins, and the R scripts are freely available, and can be modified according to the users’ needs.

Do Bio-Insecticides Affect Only Insect Species? Behavior, Regeneration and Sexual Reproduction of A Non-Target Freshwater Planarian

Bio-insecticides have been increasingly used worldwide as ecofriendly alternatives to pesticides, but data on their effects in non-target freshwater organisms is still scarce and limited to insects. The aim of this study was to determine the lethal and sub-lethal effects of the bio-insecticides Bac Control (based on Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki - Btk) and Boveril (based on Beauveria bassiana - Bb) on regeneration, behavioral and reproductive endpoints of the freshwater planarian Girardia tigrina. The estimated LC50 − 48h were > 800 mg a.i./L for Btk and 60.74 mg a.i./L for Bb. In addition, exposure to Btk significantly decreased locomotion and feeding activities of planarians (lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) of 12.5 mg a.i./L Btk) and fecundity rate (LOEC = 3.12 mg a.i./L Btk), whereas exposure to Bb significantly delayed regeneration (LOEC = 0.75 mg a.i./L Bb) and decreased fecundity rate (1.5 mg a.i./L Bb) of planarians. Thus, both bio-insecticides induced deleterious sub-lethal effects on a non-insect freshwater invertebrate species. However, only Bb-based formulation affected the survival, fecundity rate and regeneration at concentrations below the maximum predicted environmental concentration (PEC = 247 mg/L). Thus, care should be taken when using such formulations as alternatives to chemical insecticides near aquatic ecosystems.

Ergonomic Evaluation on Chicken Feeder Tool at Egg-Laying Chicken Farm SME

This research aims to evaluate the egg-laying chicken feeder that was designed at egg-laying chicken farm small and medium enterprise (SME). The main reason of this tool design was due to the worker’s complain of feeling pain during the feeding process. Evaluation was performed based on Nordic Body Map questionnaire result, physiological workload, and NIOSH lifting equation calculation. The observed work ranged from the feed filling in the basket until all feeds were distributed. The results showed that the %CVL was in the range of 18%-30% and the energy consumption of workers was in the range of 1.24-3.00 Kcal/minute. Thus, physiologically, the work activities carried out by the feed workers were categorized as very light workload. Meanwhile, evaluation using Lifting Index (LI) methods in the process of feeding showed the LI value ranged from 0.9-1, therefore this activity is safe to perform manually. Based on the prototype evaluation on the feeding aid, the process of feeding activities was more effective 1.5 times faster than the old tools. In addition, with the use of this new tool, the feeding process was easier to adjust the dose each time.