Publications by authors named "R K Gast"

Some biological systems exhibit both direct and retrograde propagating signal waves despite unidirectional coupling. To explain this phenomenon, we study a chain of unidirectionally coupled Wilson-Cowan oscillators. Surprisingly, we find that changes in the homogeneous global input to the chain suffice to reverse the wave propagation direction.

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The poultry-housing environment plays a significant role in the transmission and persistence of the egg-associated pathogen Enteritidis in laying flocks. The commercial egg industry is in the midst of a transition toward cage-free housing, but the food safety ramifications of this shift are not yet certain. The present study assessed internal organ colonization by Enteritidis in layer pullets reared in cage-free housing and infected at two different ages.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Weeds are valuable for research because they affect agriculture and can quickly adapt to changes caused by human activities.
  • - A shortage of genomic data limits the understanding of how weeds rapidly adapt, especially regarding traits like resistance to herbicides and stress tolerance.
  • - The International Weed Genomics Consortium aims to create genomic resources that enhance weed control research and support crop breeding by providing insights into adaptation and stress tolerance.
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Role of dust in Salmonella transmission on chicken farms is not well characterised. Salmonella Typhimurium (ST) infection of commercial layer chickens was investigated using a novel sprinkling method of chicken dust spiked with ST and the uptake compared to a conventional oral infection. While both inoculation methods resulted in colonisation of the intestines, the Salmonella load in liver samples was significantly higher at 7 dpi after exposing chicks to sprinkled dust compared to the oral infection group.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the effectiveness of a live attenuated vaccine (Vaxsafe ST) in reducing the shedding of harmful bacteria in layer poultry by altering gut microbiota through oral vaccination at different doses and diluents.
  • Results show that while the vaccine minimally affected overall gut microbiota diversity, significant differences in microbial community composition were observed between vaccinated and unvaccinated chickens.
  • Chicken age had a more pronounced impact on gut microbiota changes compared to the vaccine dosage or diluent, with older chicks exhibiting higher microbial diversity and changes in specific bacterial genera.
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