Using chosen examples, the author analyses the meaning of the changes made by Vincent (Wincenty) Kadłubek also known as Master Vincentius, to the tales found in the chronicle of Gallus Anonymus. Nothing much can be said of the literary or oral sources which may have served as a basis for Vincentius’s reworking of these stories. A detailed comparison of the corresponding fragments in both chroni...

The development of the feather buds during avian embryogenesis is a classic example of a spacing pattern. The regular arrangement of feather buds is achieved by a process of lateral inhibition whereby one developing feather bud prevents the formation of similar buds in the immediate vicinity. Lateral inhibition during feather formation implicates a role of long range signalling during this proc...

Avian feathers have robust growth and regeneration capability. To evaluate the contribution of signaling molecules and pathways in these processes, we profiled gene expression in the feather follicle using an absolute quantification approach. We identified hundreds of genes that mark specific components of the feather follicle: the dermal papillae (DP) which controls feather regeneration and ax...

This study of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in fecal droppings of migratory Egyptian vultures (Neophron p. percnopterus) revealed eight positive samples (n=25) by a 16S rRNA gene-based PCR in two consecutive winter seasons. Disk diffusion sensitivity testing revealed three multiple antimicrobial resistant (MAR) isolates. Genotypic characterization showed mutually exclusive exo-s and exo-u virulence ge...

The ephrin receptor (Eph) tyrosine kinases and their ephrin ligands are involved in morphogenesis during organ formation. We studied their role in feather morphogenesis, focusing on ephrin-B1 and its receptor EphB3. Early in feather development, ephrin-B1 mRNA and protein were found to be expressed in the dermal condensation, but not in the inter-bud mesenchyme. Later, in feather buds, expres...

Feather pecking is a problem in commercial laying hens, particularly in loose-housing systems, where many hens can be affected by only a few feather peckers. In addition, feather pecking can become an even larger problem if it spreads throughout the flock. There are several possible ways that feather pecking may spread. The simplest way is that one hen may damage the feathers of a hen, and anot...

A study was conducted to evaluate feather development in male broiler chickens fed variable levels of dietary CP and lysine. Diets contained 170, 210, 250, or 290 g of CP/kg with 0.86, 1.22, 1.34, or 1.46% lysine, each being fed to 2 replicate groups of 4 chicks. Dietary CP per se had a significant effect on feather weight and feather nitrogen gain. Increasing dietary CP from 170 to 250 g of CP...