Raptor Resource Project Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Author Topic: Beak Room 2023  (Read 1158064 times)

camperstig

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2303
  • "Hoo hoo hoo hoo!"
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6105 on: June 17, 2023, 09:13:38 AM »

bounce

Clynn... what a cute dress!
KB... It is sooo nice to have all the seeds, etc. off the driveway and this morning I washed down the west side of the house and got the evergreen needles, etc. off the patio. I also washed down the mailbox, welcome mats, railings and back porch. It feels good to have areas clean and fresh. I'll do more of the house later after the garden gets its water. That pollen won't seem to go away this year... sticks to everything.
Talons crossed for rain tonight!
Camper put the weed n feed on the lawn yesterday...
camper'sTIG - South Central MN
Decorah follower since Apr 2, 2011
"May Bob now soar with the eagles and dive with the falcons. You've left a living legacy behind on the earth" (barbells126)

Eagles4evr1116

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3864
  • Decorah follower since 04/06/2011.
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6106 on: June 17, 2023, 10:11:05 AM »



Its 'Caturday'!

We made some other stops yesterday, so didn't get home until evening.  I need to go out and do some watering, as I didn't do any yesterday.  We had a fun day yesterday, and enjoyed the 'white' clam chowder while visiting with hubby's cousin.  Another cousin was there for lunch, so we all had a great time!

Baz - Love the zoo pics!!

Phyl - sorry for your post going 'poof' last evening - I know how that feels.   Love your cute 'Caturday' gif this morning - so cute!!!

LisaG - The big day is finally here!!  Wishing Kelly and everyone a lovely day!! Your fruit tray is beautiful.  :)

Tsk - Sweet pic of Lulu watching movie with you! ;D

Clynn - Pretty dress that Ed found for Bella - good choice he made! :)  She is so cute!   That is great news that Gunner is doing much better and that Honey is doing well too!!  :-* :)

Karen - Your weather forecast sounds good  :)

Kb - Looked at your weather link and I hope you get some rain!  Ssrl is lucky to have some cleaner air to breathe - hope it extends over to you!

Tig - Fingers crossed that you get some rain! Good for Camper in doing the weed n feed - we did the same about a week ago in the back yard. :) 

Hi Lani, Puff, Lori, OG  :)

Today my Mom will be coming over and bringing some 'Forms' that she needs help with filling out, but it is always good to visit with her!   I need to get busy around here now, so everyone have a great day.  :)

Lani

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13117
  • All Things Bright and Beautiful
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6107 on: June 17, 2023, 12:15:14 PM »



Happy Caturday Beakers!
Morning Blschue, Lilbro, Lori, Clynn, Tsk, Lisa, Karen, Oldguy, Puff, Eagles, Kb, Tig, Baz, Phyl, Peep, Jaspurr, Pink, Jilltosa, BL, Eburg, Weasel, Ezee, Bggolden, T40, ssrl, Maxie, Nrstooge, Omasawyer, Paulie and All!


Internet keeps going on and off  :-\

Eagles, sounds like you and Kris had a nice day away! Mike and I need one of those  ;D..... Hi to your mom!  ;D

Kb, love playtime  :-* ... I hope you get rain today.

{{{Karen}}}

Clynn, darling pic of Bella and her pretty new dress!  ;D  the patio is such a wonderful area for everyone including the cats  ;D ... awww {{{Gunnar and Honey 🙏🏼  :-* }}} ...

Tsk, awww Lulu  :-*

Phyl, thanks for nests update.

Lisa, The escape of the kitties sounds like a James Bond ploy ..... fruit plate looks pretty and delicious! Have a fun luncheon. I'm look forward to hearing about it and seeing pics if possible.  ;D
All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful; The Lord God made them all....Author: Cecil F. Alexander

tsk34

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3777
  • Who me?
    • picasa
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6108 on: June 17, 2023, 12:38:59 PM »

Off to great niece - the theater one - 8th grade graduation party - Will catch up later
Chicagoland

Phyl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18152
  • Maggie lives in Nashville,Tennessee Music City USA
    • https://parler.com @Phylll
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6110 on: June 17, 2023, 01:48:02 PM »

This is a fascinating article from the digital issue of National Geographic Magazine regarding research into alternatives for cats and dogs.
  As it’s contents and features are premium subscription the hyperlinks usually don’t work for non-subscribers.
So I decided to just post the entire article
The photographs are impressive and are protected form copying.   The photo below is the only one that I could ‘copy’




These are some of the 21 female domestic cats at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s Center for  Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) who were participants in the gene therapy study that pioneered a single shot sterilization instead of using general anesthesia and surgery. 
PHOTOGRAPH BY MADELEINE HORDINSKI

Not spayed. Not neutered. This birth control for cats doesn’t require surgery
Scientists have developed a gene therapy contraceptive for cats that could reduce the deaths of birds and mammals. The treatment is easy to administer and lasts a lifetime.
 BYCONNIE CHANG
 CHANG
PUBLISHED JUNE 6, 2023
• 10 MIN READ

In the United States, domestic cats kill up to 4 billion birds and 22 billion small mammals every year. These deaths dwarf other man-made causes of wildlife mortality like accidental poisoning and habitat destruction and pose an imminent threat to the health and diversity of our wildlife. One solution is to rein in cat fertility.
Now a team led by David Pepin, a reproductive biologist from Harvard, and William Swanson, the director of animal research at the Cincinnati Zoo, has developed a novel and safe method of gene therapy contraception to control the population of cats—including pets, feral cats, and community cats, which are fed by people but do not belong to an owner.
“On some islands, populations of feral cats run amok without predators,” leading to the extinction of native mammals, reptiles, and birds, says Roland Kays, an ecologist and mammal conservationist at North Carolina State University. Kays, who has studied the hunting range of pet cats, notes that neighborhoods that border nature preserves or beaches can be particularly problematic for vulnerable, endangered species.
Trap-neuter-return programs—where people trap, neuter, and then release cats—can help control population growth, but veterinarian availability is a bottleneck, Swanson says. “We needed a way to get the highly-trained surgeon out of the picture and allow a layperson to be able to give an injection that prevents cats from reproducing.”
From humans to cats
Pepin stumbled into the world of cat contraception through his interest in how ovarian cancer develops in people.His postdoctoral advisor had been studying anti-Mullerian hormone—which is important in the development of male sex organs in the fetus—as a possible treatment for ovarian cancer. Pepin, however, discovered the hormone had an important impact on the ovary and its follicles—the structures inside the ovaries that house what eventually become eggs.
The hormone “was much more potent than we realized,” Pepin says. “With it, we could basically take over the ovary and control the rate at which follicles develop.” Pepin immediately saw the hormone’s potential as a contraceptive.
In the 1960s, human family planning was revolutionized when researchers introduced oral contraceptives—containing estrogen and progesterone—for women. The pill acts on the later stages of follicular development—but this medication had drawbacks. It sometimes triggers side effects including high blood pressure and blood clots.

Anti-Mullerian hormone acts earlier—on primordial follicles, the population present at birth and before they become sensitive to follicle-stimulating hormone—which is released from the brain’s pituitary gland and stimulates follicle growth in the ovaries. After puberty, these follicles start to mature in batches of roughly 20 with every ovarian cycle, until one is selected to release its egg for possible fertilization. The process is highly coordinated—a dance of positive and negative hormone feedback loops connecting the hypothalamus, the pituitary gland, and the ovary.
Produced by growing follicles, the hormone is part of the negative feedback that prevents primordial follicles from maturing while also slowing the development of others. And unlike estrogen and progesterone—which have receptors throughout the body including the bone, brain, and immune system—the receptors for this hormone are largely confined to the ovaries, pituitary gland, and uterus.
“That means very few side effects,” Pepin says.
But progress had stalled. “Funding in women’s health was low; and particularly in contraception, people felt there was no need to innovate in that space,” Pepin says. That’s when the Michelson Found Animals Foundation stepped in. While surgical contraception takes several minutes (male cats) to half an hour (female cats), the procedure—which requires that the animal be under general anesthesia—still carries risk, such as pain, post-operative bleeding, and infection. Motivated by overcrowded shelters and animal welfare concerns, the non-profit financed research to develop non-surgical, permanent contraceptives for pets.
Gene therapy contraception
With the foundation’s support, Pepin expanded his work to include cats. To test the hormone’s impact on this new population, he and his collaborators used gene therapy—a strategy in which a gene encoding the hormone is inserted into cells to produce higher-than-normal levels of the molecule in cats.

The researchers injected a virus carrying the feline version of the hormone’s gene into the muscles of six animals. In addition, the researchers injected three cats with viruses that did not contain the gene to serve as the controls for the experiments. The process is permanent—the gene integrates into the DNA of the cats’ muscle cells and continues to pump out the hormone for years—stalling follicle development to such a degree that the follicles never release an egg for fertilization.

When the researchers investigated the level of various hormones present in the blood and feces after treatment, however, they were surprised to discover that many—notably estrogen—were unchanged compared to controls. This implies that some follicles made it out of the primordial stage and were secreting the hormone. So, rather than stopping these follicles in their tracks, the situation is more nuanced.
“A few follicles still activated, but they didn’t mature like they normally would; they were stunted,” Pepin says. Yet, due to strong feedback mechanisms, this small cadre of follicles was still capable of producing near-normal amounts of estrogen—an important detail given the hormone’s importance for bone and cardiovascular health.
During the cycle, however, the follicles did “peter out,” their development arrested before they could ovulate.
Mating trials, in which the cats were housed with a fertile male cat, confirmed that the hormone treatment suspended fertility. Although two of the six treated female cats mated with the male cat, none became pregnant. In contrast, all three control cats had two to four kittens when they were allowed to mate. That the treated cats that mated did not get pregnant suggests that although estrogen levels appear normal, the hormone had an impact that blocked ovulation and led to infertility
Pepin acknowledges that their work could sound scary. “We’ve made a virus that causes infertility—many science fiction stories start out like this.” But you can put fears of a global infertility plague aside. Adeno-associated viruses can’t replicate, so there’s no risk of spreading this birth control. They also don’t work across species.
Future goals include reducing the cost of gene therapy, finding efficient ways to administer it, and devising a version of the treatment for dogs. Pepin also co-founded a company to explore AMH’s use in people, including injecting just the hormone directly which, unlike gene therapy, would be completely reversible.
For cat-owner Grant Sizemore, a conservation biologist with the American Bird Conservatory in Washington, D.C., the threat that cats pose to wildlife is clear and present. “Cats could very well be the nail in the coffin for many species—they’re just such effective and pervasive predators and their numbers are so vast in the environment,” he says. They’re also a source of diseases like the parasite-caused toxoplasmosis, which can decimate endangered species like the Hawaiian monk seal and the Hawaiian crow.
But Sizemore is not a fan of programs that sterilize cats and then return them to the environment. “These programs purposely maintain cats on the landscape and a sterilized cat will still hunt and kill wildlife. It will still contribute to disease concerns,” Sizemore says. He also questions the efficacy of these strategies, citing research that demonstrated that they failed to curb cat population growth in two counties in Florida and California.
A 2019 analysis of various strategies, however—including removing cats, sterilizing them, and taking no action—indicate that high-intensity sterilization, in which at least 75 percent of the population is treated, could be an effective way to cut cat numbers by 50 percent over a ten-year period.
According to Swanson, who has worked on this project for the past seven years, the comparative ease of a gene therapy solution will boost that effectiveness. “This really could be game changing, if we can get it to work as well as we hope.”



« Last Edit: June 17, 2023, 01:51:03 PM by Phyl »

Dina 5-23-21  :-* I miss you so much.
Sauces bald eagle cam

tsk34

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3777
  • Who me?
    • picasa
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6111 on: June 17, 2023, 04:25:37 PM »

CLYNN   Funny poem from the cat  LOL   YAY  Back on your PC.  Two weeks was forever.  Cute little Bella in her own world  :D   I had forgotten Gunner had cancer.  Glad both he and Holly are having some good days.  :-*   Yes I posted the pic of Lulu sitting on my lap while I watched Top Gun Maverick.  She was actively watching which I thought was funny.    WOW  that bannister   :o :o  Dinner sounds good for Father's day. :D

KAREN   Yesterday I was in Milwaukee but I take 94 which turns west to get to my brothers - the sky was black in downtown Milw.  Not so when I got to my brothers several miles west.  Did not notice in Chicagoland.

KB   LOL  Play time.  How can you not smile at that.  AQI reminds me that I can get a good rainfall and Barb who lives a mile or so away won't get anything  LOL  It has happened

EAGLES  Fun time yesterday with surprise guest  ;)  Did you get some extra chowder for take-out?

LANI   LOLOL  Cute pick of the "cat legs"  ;) ;)

T40   I tested the cat nose touching.  Lulu doesn't mind at all.  ;D   Cat fail - so funny but there are blind spots for cats - that mouse must have known that. ;)    Had to watch the first bonus twice  LOLOL   Eagles and the fishing boat  ::)   Hoist the colors - Very cool voices  Thanks
Chicagoland

Phyl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18152
  • Maggie lives in Nashville,Tennessee Music City USA
    • https://parler.com @Phylll
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6112 on: June 17, 2023, 06:02:37 PM »

CLynn LOL neighborhood watch;  cute tiie dye dress for Bella  :);  looks like the maine coons love the newell post  ;D
Great news about Honey!  :)   sweet Puffin family photo. Delish father's day dinner for Ed/Erin. Your PC's back home  ;)

Karen congats on the finch chicks;  you and KB hope you get that rain you wish for today

Tig if you get that r ain the pollen and all will be gone from everything. That's the way it works here in the Cumberland basin--
a good rain, no hosing and it's gone  for a while anyway.

Lisa kitty escape sounds 'covert'.  Hope y'all enjoy the luncheon

E4E  hope a nice visit with you mom ---enjoy them. Hug to your mom

Lani LOL the cat lef  socks aside the real deal.  Too bad about your internet

KB 'play time' too funny

T40 never seen a cat that minds a gentle tap on it's nose.   ;)     Easy peesey 1st bonus. Bald eagle steals fish love it!  Funny videos



Dina 5-23-21  :-* I miss you so much.
Sauces bald eagle cam

Phyl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18152
  • Maggie lives in Nashville,Tennessee Music City USA
    • https://parler.com @Phylll
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6113 on: June 17, 2023, 06:09:14 PM »




Dina 5-23-21  :-* I miss you so much.
Sauces bald eagle cam

Phyl

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 18152
  • Maggie lives in Nashville,Tennessee Music City USA
    • https://parler.com @Phylll
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6114 on: June 17, 2023, 06:09:48 PM »

Wishing everyone a 'Good  Evening' and SEDs .     

Dina 5-23-21  :-* I miss you so much.
Sauces bald eagle cam

baziunc

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1295
  • Queen of Decorah - April 10, 2016
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6115 on: June 17, 2023, 06:30:35 PM »




HAPPY CATURDAY, BEAKERS!  :)   With a dusting of wildfire ash on the side...



"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift, that is why it is called the present."   ― A.A. Milne

"Hope for the best and accept what comes." ― President Jimmy Carter, on Aug. 20, 2015, during press conference at The Carter Center

tsk34

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3777
  • Who me?
    • picasa
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6116 on: June 17, 2023, 06:33:55 PM »

BAZI   LOL  Fatbit.

Night all
Chicagoland

Puff

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 2053
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6117 on: June 17, 2023, 07:07:01 PM »

CLYNN   Funny poem from the cat  LOL   YAY  Back on your PC.  Two weeks was forever.  Cute little Bella in her own world  :D   I had forgotten Gunner had cancer.  Glad both he and Holly are having some good days.  :-*   Yes I posted the pic of Lulu sitting on my lap while I watched Top Gun Maverick.  She was actively watching which I thought was funny.    WOW  that bannister   :o :o  Dinner sounds good for Father's day. :D

KAREN   Yesterday I was in Milwaukee but I take 94 which turns west to get to my brothers - the sky was black in downtown Milw.  Not so when I got to my brothers several miles west.  Did not notice in Chicagoland.

KB   LOL  Play time.  How can you not smile at that.  AQI reminds me that I can get a good rainfall and Barb who lives a mile or so away won't get anything  LOL  It has happened

EAGLES  Fun time yesterday with surprise guest  ;)  Did you get some extra chowder for take-out?

LANI   LOLOL  Cute pick of the "cat legs"  ;) ;)

T40   I tested the cat nose touching.  Lulu doesn't mind at all.  ;D   Cat fail - so funny but there are blind spots for cats - that mouse must have known that. ;)    Had to watch the first bonus twice  LOLOL   Eagles and the fishing boat  ::)   Hoist the colors - Very cool voices  Thanks


Just for the record tsk  Not a drop  of water yesterday in my guage.  Very difficult to be accurate forecaster in greater Chi area.

P

kbshcb

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4227
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6118 on: June 17, 2023, 09:06:22 PM »



As a mower and dog owner, I know this one well....

No rain yet, heading up from the south and radar shows it might skirt by me to my West...no don't you dare do that!....LOL

Lani

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13117
  • All Things Bright and Beautiful
Re: Beak Room 2023
« Reply #6119 on: June 17, 2023, 11:59:31 PM »


Phyl, interesting article about cats.

T40, all my cats liked to have their nose touched... yay mouse! .... eagle stealing fish  ;D... hoist the color duet reminded me of The Hobbit movie.

Tsk, How was niece's graduation?

Baz, "Fatbit" LOL  ;D

Kb LOL  ;D

Good night!




Sweet Eagle Dreams, Baz, Lori, Karen, Puff, Tsk, Oldguy, Lisa, Lilbro, Eagles, Pink, Clynn, Kb, Tig, Blschue, Phyl, BL and Pip, Godiva, Peep, Jaspurr, Ezee, Eburg, Lindy, RubyRed246, ssrl, Firetruck, Weasel, Jilltosa, Maxie, Masswatch, Paulie, DeborahG, MpMom and Pete, laniebelle, OnEagleWings, NWarg, Garmohoff, Nrstooge, WendyC3, Tigeag, T40, Ginger, Cwellsla, Nanimal, Bggolden, Nora, Rewrap4u, Eaglesrock, Teamcarnes, Seabeeinch, Walton, Sparky, Tulsaducati, Omasawyer, izzysamlikeseagles, bustopbird, Neva, Yank, Linda.L, smrf, nhJane.

Thinking of and missing, Peep, Jaspurr, Jilltosa, Wilson, Godiva, MpMom and Pete, Marrymo, Keystone, TxTeacher, Smb, Naimoj, Thyla/Anne, D7Birder, Indy, Neva, Smb, Alice, and those who have not been with us for a while.

Prayers For Tsk friends Jean and Dennis, Jicaji, Tim and Tsk, Eagle's Kris, Lori and her grandma Clute, Puff, Tsk's friend Pam and Hubby, Karen, Maxie and Larry, Camper's daughter, Ed's sis Gina, Tsk's Barb & Tom, Baz great niece and family, Peep's friend's family, Clynn's DIL's mom, Ed's friend Greg, Tsk's friend, Puff's brother, Masswatch hubby Jamey, Pip's Dad, Ezee, EagleFanDave, Tim's Uncle, Paulie's granddaughter Madison, Emy and family, Clynn's mom and Ed,  Lori's grandmother, Tim's son and grandson, WW JW, Keystone, Jilltosa, Eaglesrock cousin Michael, Thyla/Anne, Neva's family, Weasel and family, and All here in need of healing and comforting.

Special Prayers For Tsk, Phyl, Jim and Maggie, Karen, Blschue and family, Eagle's Kris, Lori and family, Phyl's BIL Danny and brother Dan.

Special prayers for All God's creature great and small, For Clynn's Honey and Gunnar, SWFL Harriet, Star, Maggie, Little One and all those like her, Dunrovin Harriet, Hellgate Iris, TRR rescue babies, The Fairy Penguins, Berry Mom,  NEFL Juliet, Romeo and Samson, Lucy and Larry, Salt River wild horses, Alaska Bears and Wolves that they be saved, Decorah, E2/D1, Dr Rogers and Black bears Shadow and family and Wildlife Research Institute, and All God's creatures great and small.
All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful; The Lord God made them all....Author: Cecil F. Alexander