Contrasting walking styles map to discrete neural substrates in the mouse brainstem.

Walking is a slow gait which is particularly adaptable to meet internal or external needs and is prone to maladaptive alterations that lead to gait disorders. Alterations can affect speed, but also style (the way one walks). While slowed speed may signify the presence of a problem, style represents the hallmark essential for clinical classification of gait disorders.

Self-limiting fall armyworm: a new approach in development for sustainable crop protection and resistance management.

Background: The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, is a significant and widespread pest of maize, sorghum, rice, and other economically important crops. Successful management of this caterpillar pest has historically relied upon application of synthetic insecticides and through cultivation of genetically engineered crops expressing insecticidal proteins (Bt crops). Fall armyworm has, however, developed resistance to both synthetic insecticides and Bt crops, which risks undermining the benefits delivered by these important crop protection tools.

Shifts in Gait Signatures Mark the End of Lifespan in Mice, With Sex Differences in Timing.

Reduced walking speed is a hallmark of functional decline in aging across species. An age-related change in walking style may represent an additional key marker signifying deterioration of the nervous system. Due to the speed dependence of gait metrics combined with slowing of gait during aging, it has been challenging to determine whether changes in gait metrics represent a change in style.

Recent Advances in Understanding the Influence of Zinc, Copper, and Manganese on the Gastrointestinal Environment of Pigs and Poultry.

Zinc, copper, and manganese are prominent essential trace (or micro) minerals, being required in small, but adequate, amounts by pigs and poultry for normal biological functioning. Feed is a source of trace minerals for pigs and poultry but variable bioavailability in typical feed ingredients means that supplementation with low-cost oxides and sulphates has become common practice. Such trace mineral supplementation often provides significant 'safety margins', while copper and zinc have been supplemented at supra-nutritional (or pharmacological) levels to improve health and/or growth performance.

Host⁻Microbe Interactions and Gut Health in Poultry-Focus on Innate Responses.

Commercial poultry are continually exposed to, frequently pathogenic, microorganisms, usually via mucosal surfaces such as the intestinal mucosa. Thus, understanding host-microbe interactions is vital. Many of these microorganisms may have no or limited contact with the host, while most of those interacting more meaningfully with the host will be dealt with by the innate immune response.