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Editor's Notes

1. Its a pleasure to welcome you all to my first thesis supervisory committee meeting. I m excited to present before you the proposal for my research.The suggested title is
2. Let me begin with a brief introduction of the subject of study the emusRatiteWithou the breast bone cartilage/ keel
3. 1 million emus all over the world Dropped drastically over a decadeIndustry had a very quick growth phase and then matured to decline drastically Excessive speculationOil= medicinal therapeutic, anti inflammatory, rheumatic, Hair growth, anti oxidant, healing of tissues, scars, burns, cholesterol levelpatents
4. A bird with vast potential and good demand in many parts of Asia and Australia.Need to diversify -Create markets -Steady supply - producers were forced to establish their own retail marketsYet to get official health status by health Canada though there are no restrictions on its cosmetic use
5. Unable to establish distribution and market channels Oil needs to be processed Expertise is needed to harvest the fat completely Price of emu meat is double that of other meat Unable to convince consumers about the claimed benefits
6. Schematic representation of the stress mechanism in animals. Adapted from Squires, E.J (2003).Fig.1b shows the schematic representation of the action of HPA Axis to stress. When the hypothalamus is stimulated, it results in the release of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH or CRF), which in turn stimulates the anterior pituitary to release the adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This leads to the release of glucocorticoids from the adrenal cortex. Vasopressin or Arginine vasotensin (in birds) also potentiates the effects of CRH on pituitary to release ACTH as well as Beta endorphins {derived from pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC)} stimulating the release of glucocorticoids. Glucocorticoids act on a variety of target tissues and organs to maintain homeostasis. The HPA response is a comparatively slower than SA response and produces a generalised effect on the animal.
7. Stressors cause changes in psychological, physiological, endocrine, enzymatic, metabolic, electrolyte, thermoregulatory &hydration parametersThey tend to cause live weight loss and poor meat quality.
8. Both economic and benevolent reasons to reduce stress Cortisol driven events include – N:L ratio, Beta endorphins, thyroxin3 stages of stress- ALARM REACTION, RESISTANCE/ADAPTATION & EXHAUSTION or FATIGUE
9. In today's world there is increasing consciousness among consumers for meat produced in an ethical mannerAnimal welfare is increasingly been seen as a prerequisite to enhance business efficiency and profitability
10. Special diets are high in carbohydrates and provide electrolytes and vitaminsElectrolytes are similar to interstitial fluid in composition
11. Adult emus of 1 ½ yrs of age total of 64 + 12 emus are needed
12. axis and stress response in animals Adapted from Matteri, R. L., Carroll, J. A and Dyer, (2000)Stress responses in birds consists of three stages namely, the stage of alarm reaction, the stage of resistance and the stage of exhaustion. The rapid endocrine responses are mediated by the sympathetic nervous system activation of the adrenal medulla called as the SA system, resulting in the release of catecholamines, namely adrenaline and nor- adrenaline. The long term effects are due to the activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA Axis), leading to the production of corticosteroids, glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids, the stress hormones. The schematic representation of the overall stress mechanism in animals is as given in Fig. 1a below.
13. Modified from (Hastein, Scarfe, and Lund, 2005)Factors