Evaluation of the Correlation Between the Oxidation Reduction Potential and Free Chlorine Residual for Different Chlorine Sources Used in Poultry Drinking Water Sanitation

A critical component in commercial poultry production is to ensure birds are provided clean, quality water. Multiple disinfectants can be utilized to optimize a good water quality program. The goal of these water disinfectants is to greatly reduce or eliminate the presence of all bacteria. In recent years, the oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) meter has been a tool utilized by the poultry industry to monitor chlorine efficacy in drinking water. An ORP reading of 650-750 millivolts (mV) has become the industry standard for assuring an acceptable sanitizing residual of free chlorine is present for controlling microbial contamination regardless of the actual amount of total or free chlorine or the water pH. A recent bench top evaluation of a new chlorine product revealed microbial contamination even when the oxidation-reduction potential read 650 mV. Given these results, it is beneficial for the poultry industry to re-evaluate the relationship between total chlorine residual, free chlorine residual, ORP value, and microbial levels. Additionally, the study determined if a new ORP standard should be the target and if this standard consistently correlates to free chlorine residual (ppm) even under scenarios of different water quality parameters. This study evaluated the efficacy of two different forms of chlorine, a liquid product (sodium hypochlorite) and a crystalline dry product (sodium dichloro-S-triazinetrione) at three concentrations (2, 4, and 8 oz/gal) commonly used for drinking water sanitation in the poultry industry. The objective was to determine the relationship between total and free chlorine residual, ORP, pH, and microbial content of the water when the chlorine products are utilized in water with a high microbial level typically found in unclean poultry drinking water lines. Results indicated both forms of chlorine were effective disinfectants for reducing aerobic bacteria present in the water. Additionally, the results of this experiment showed under field conditions where microbiologically challenged water is present, an ORP reading of 700 mV is required to achieve an efficient microbial reduction/elimination and this is supported by at least 3 ppm of free chlorine

Textile Properties of Men’s Chino Pants: Does Price Matter?

Samantha Castro is an undergraduate student in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University. Emily Granger is an undergraduate student in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University. Ashley Cox is an undergraduate student in Marketing at Louisiana Tech University. Kathleen Heiden is an Associate Professor in the School of Human Ecology at Louisiana Tech University

A psycholinguistic investigation of orthographic neighbourhood effects in reading and spelling in isiXhosa

Despite increased research interest in recent years in the metalinguistic skills underpinning reading in the Southern Bantu languages, little work has been done on the underlying microlinguistic layer. This refers to the actual mechanical underpinnings of linguistic skills; zooming in on micro-language structures so as to explicate our understanding of how reading works. One such microlinguistic phenomenon is the effect of orthographic neighbours on reading and writing. Research has found predominantly faciliatory neighbourhood effects for English word reading (Andrews, 1997; Siakaluk, Sears & Lupker, 2002; Yarkoni, Balota & Yap, 2008). Specifically, words with more orthographic neighbours have faster response times in lexical decision and naming tasks. However, in languages such as Spanish and French, inhibitory neighbourhood effects are reported (Grainger & Jacobs, 1996; Carreiras, Perea & Grainger, 1997). These findings highlight the language-specific nature of orthographic neighbourhood effects (Andrews, 1997), and the necessity for language- specific investigations of these effects. This thesis investigates the linguistic properties of orthographic neighbours in isiXhosa, thereby developing a database of orthographic neighbourhoods in isiXhosa. Further, this research explores the interaction between orthographic neighbourhood density and neighbourhood frequency with three literacy skills: lexical decision response time, word reading accuracy, and spelling accuracy. Data were collected from 97 isiXhosa grade three learners from five schools in KwaNobuhle Township in the Eastern Cape. A corpus of 170 000 tokens of isiXhosa words (Rees & Randera, 2017) was used to compile a database of orthographic neighbourhoods for 30 real, and 30 pseudowords which ranged in orthographic neighbourhood density and neighbourhood frequency, whilst controlling for word length and word frequency. Using this database, lexical decision, word reading, and spelling tasks were designed and administered to the participants. Findings indicate a significant inhibitory effect of orthographic neighbourhood frequency on spelling accuracy. Words with high neighbourhood frequencies are more likely to be spelt incorrectly. There was no observed effect of orthographic neighbourhoods on lexical decision response time and word reading accuracy. These results are interpreted within connectionist and search models of orthographic processing. Specifically, the findings indicate a partial reliance on lexical processing strategies when spelling. That is, orthographic neighbours compete for lexical access when spelling. Education practitioners may wish to present learners with lists of orthographic neighbours when introducing novel words so as to make explicit the fine grain differences between words in the language. This also means that future research will need to develop a larger repository of orthographic neighbours in isiXhosa that can be made available for pedagogical purposes.Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 202

The role of physical oceanography on the distributions and foraging behaviours of marine mammals and seabirds in shelf-seas

Mid-latitude shelf-seas are highly productive regions that host a rich diversity of animals including large numbers of marine mammals and seabirds. These large vertebrate predators play a crucial role in the functioning of shelf-sea ecosystems. However, the combined effects of multiple anthropogenic stressors are driving unprecedented declines in many of their populations. Mitigating this depends upon effective conservation and integrated ecosystem based approaches to management, which require a comprehensive understanding of the habitat needs of marine predators. The foraging efficiencies of marine predators are closely tied to the availability of a number of oceanographic features. As such, these physical habitats represent critical locations within a species’ range whose preservation and protection should be of high priority. The collection of studies presented in this thesis aims to improve our understanding of the physical oceanographic processes that underlie the at-sea behaviours and distributions of marine mammals and seabirds in coastal and shelf-sea environments. A combination of at-sea boat surveying, animal-borne biologging, satellite remote-sensing, passive acoustics and numerical modelling was used to collect information on the distributions and foraging behaviours of a range of marine predators alongside the bio-physical characteristics of the oceanographic habitats they occupied. These data were then used to (1) examine the use of oceanographic habitats generated around tidal-mixing fronts and coastal topographic structures by a range of piscivorous species including bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, common dolphins Delphinus delphis, harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena and northern gannets Morus bassanus, and (2) identify the physical processes underlying their creation. Original aspects of this work include the examination of the fine-scale bio-physical mechanisms that link marine predators to tidal-mixing fronts and coastal tidal-topographic structures. Main findings indicate that offshore habitats around tidal-mixing fronts are used by both common dolphins and northern gannets for foraging. Individuals associated with patches of increased sub-surface primary productivity, which were generated via a bi-weekly cycle of episodic turbulent mixing and stratification following an adjustment in the spatial position of a front with the spring-neap cycle. Moreover, around fronts, the dives of gannets were likely to be short and of a V-shaped strategy (with little active swim phase), which likely reflects an increase in the accessibility and catchability of their prey. In a coastal estuarine system, bottlenose dolphins were shown to associate with predictable downwelling features generated during flood tidal flows that were thought to act as a foraging aid. Together, these findings highlight the fundamental role physical oceanographic processes play in the structuring of marine ecosystems by providing vulnerable marine predators with prosperous and reliable foraging resources that they can exploit. This work has implications for both future studies of marine predator foraging ecology and the management of anthropogenic activities in coastal and shelf-seas.Natural Environment Research Council (NERC

Low socio-economic environmental determinants of children's physical activity in Coventry, UK: A Qualitative study in parents

AbstractBackgroundChildren's physical activity (PA) is affected by socio-economic status (SES) and the environment. Children are not fully autonomous in their decision making; parental decisions thus affect how children utilise their surrounding environments for PA. The aim was to examine environmental influences on children's PA from a qualitative perspective in parents from low SES wards in Coventry, UK.Method59 parents of children in year 4 (aged 8–9years) completed the ALPHA environmental questionnaire. 16 of these parents took part in focus group discussions examining environmental facilitators and barriers to their child's PA (March–April, 2013).ResultsEmerging themes related to physical (i.e. poor access, safety and quality of the neighbourhood) and social environment (i.e. ‘rough’ neighbourhood due to crime and anti-social behaviour) influences on the PA behaviour of children. The parents believed these environmental factors resulted in the children engaging in greater sedentary activity (watching TV) indoors. The school environment was perceived as a supportive physical environment for children's PA behaviour.ConclusionParent's perceptions of an unsupportive physical and social environment restrict children's opportunities to play outside and be physically active and may lead to increased body fat (BF). Schools provide a supportive environment for children from low SES to be physically active in

Help seeking in adults with anorexia nervosa: what is the role of significant others?

Background: The aim of the study was to explore the role of significant others1 in problem disclosure and help seeking in adults with anorexia. Existing literature on help seeking is predominantly focused on anorexia in children and adolescents (Honey & Halse, 2005; Tierney, 2005; Thomson et al. 2014). Anorexia becomes more chronic the longer it is left untreated, and delays in seeking treatment are associated with poorer recovery outcomes (Ficher, Quadflieg & Hedlund, 2006). Therefore, early intervention is key. This study sought to explore an under researched area and map the territory for future projects. Methodology: Participants were recruited from a carer group in the UK for carers of individuals with an eating disorder and B-eat, a charity that supports individuals in the UK with their eating disorder. Ten individuals self-selected to participate in the study and took part in a one retrospective semi structured interview. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data was analysed using thematic analysis, following the guidelines by Braun and Clarke (2006). Results: Six superordinate themes were identified: (1) First Response, (2) Confrontation and Confession/Denial, (3) Stepping In, (4) “Stepping Back”, (5) Care Context and (6) Flexible and Persistent Approach

Life Happens (Outside of College): Non-College Life-Events and Students’ Likelihood of Graduation

Students’ lives outside of college can have dramatic effects on academic outcomes (e.g., grades, persistence, graduation). However, the manner in which students’ lives outside of college are referenced in college-effects models suggests some uncertainty among scholars as to which, and how, student experiences outside of an institution affect college student outcomes. Using longitudinal data from a racially diverse sample of 3914 students (997 White, 1051 Black, 915 Hispanic, and 951 Asian) attending 28 institutions, this study employs logistic regression models to examine relationships between three types of non-college life-events and students’ likelihood of graduation. Specifically, we examine the impact of financial disruptions, grieving a friend’s or family member’s death, and other family situations that likely cause psychological distress for students. Results suggest that major life-events are both common (i.e., affecting over 52 % of students) and consequential (i.e., negatively affecting graduation rates), thus warranting increased attention from researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners

The prognostic value of derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in oesophageal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

Background and purpose The derived neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) is a validated prognostic biomarker for cancer survival but has not been extensively studied in locally-advanced oesophageal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). We aimed to identify the prognostic value of dNLR in patients recruited to the SCOPE1 trial. Materials and methods 258 patients were randomised to receive dCRT ± cetuximab. Kaplan–Meier’s curves and both univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were calculated for overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), local PFS inside the radiation volume (LPFSi), local PFS outside the radiation volume (LPFSo), and distant PFS (DPFS). Results An elevated pre-treatment dNLR ≥ 2 was significantly associated with decreased OS in univariable (HR 1.74 [95% CI 1.29–2.35], p < 0.001) and multivariable analyses (HR 1.64 [1.17–2.29], p = 0.004). Median OS was 36 months (95% CI 27.8–42.4) if dNLR < 2 and 18.4 months (95% CI 14.1–24.9) if dNLR ≥ 2. All measures of PFS were also significantly reduced with an elevated dNLR. dNLR was prognostic for OS in cases of squamous cell carcinoma with a non-significant trend for adenocarcinoma/undifferentiated tumours. Conclusions An elevated pre-treatment dNLR may be an independent prognostic biomarker for OS and PFS in oesophageal cancer patients treated with definitive CRT. dNLR is a simple, inexpensive and readily available tool for risk-stratification and should be considered for use in future oesophageal cancer clinical trials