Resident Perceptions of Black Bear Management in South Central Kentucky

The growth and sprawl of the American black bear (Ursus americanus) population have been observed and monitored in the past two decades, especially in south-central Kentucky. To better manage human-black bear interaction and develop informed policy and best practices, the current study sought to 1) understand south-central Kentucky residents’ current knowledge of and previous experience with black bears, 2) investigate residents’ attitudes toward black bears and regulated hunting in wildlife management;and 3) identify residents’ level of acceptance of various black bear related management actions in south-central Kentucky. From February to April 2017, residents of London and Stearns districts (southeastern regions) of the Daniel Boone National Forest, a black bear habitat, were invited to participate in this study. The results from 139 completed surveys showed that residents lacked sufficient knowledge about black bear populations in the region and received minimal information regarding black bear management efforts. In comparison to education efforts and relocation, regulated black bear hunting could be a cost-effective option to promote responsible use of wildlife resources and black bear population control. This study provided lessons and recommendations for black bear management in south-central Kentucky and may be of utilization for any other wildlife conservation areas.

Gut microbiota metabolites for sweetening type I diabetes

Type 1 diabetes(T1D),also referred to as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus,is a debilitating disease that follows the destruction of pancreatic insulin-producingβcells by autologous T-cells.T1D primarily affects children and has a strong genetic component,with>50 susceptibility loci identified,including HLA-DQβchains.1 However,the striking differences between European regions with similar genetic backgrounds and a sharp rise in T1D incidence in developed countries over the last several decades suggest that environmental factor(s)also play a relevant etiopathogenic role.2 Given the accumulating evidence linking the gut microbiota to protection against metabolic diseases,3 Mariño et al.4 recently tested the hypothesis that short-chain fatty acids(SCFAs),which are the end products of fermentation of dietary fibers by anaerobic intestinal microbiota,can protect genetically susceptible mice from developing T1D.Interestingly,the authors found that diets enriched in acetate or butyrate(two of the main SCFAs)can protect animals from developing diabetes through different and complementary cellular mechanisms.Such findings significantly enhance our understanding of the role of diet and gut microbiota in the development of autoimmune diseases and indicate that the use of medicinal foods may be a cost-effective treatment against T1D and other autoimmune diseases with a cellular component.Given that current anti-T1D approaches(which focus on prevention or modulation of the adaptive specific immune response against autoantigens)have been generally disappointing,5 such a new and refreshing strategy has attracted a great deal of attention(reviewed in Ref.2).