THE EFFECT OF PROPIONIC ACID ADDITION IN POULTRY DIETS ON THE INTERNAL ORGANS OF BROILER CHICKENS

This study aims to determine the effects of adding propionic acid in the poultry diets on the internal organs of broiler chickens. The livestock used were 180 broilers with Cobb strain. This study used a completely randomized design (CRD) consisting of 3 treatments and 6 replications.The treatments in this study consisted of: P0= commercial feed without propionic acid addition; P1= commercial feed with addition of 0.5%propionic acid; and P2= commercial feed with 0.75% propionic acid. The parameters observed included live weight, spleen percentage, gizzardpercentage, liver percentage, and small intestine length. The results showed that the addition of propionic acid in the broiler feed had a significant effect (P0.05) on the live weight and had no significant effect (P0.05) on the percentage of spleen, percentage of gizzard, percentage of liver, and small intestine length. The conclusion of this study was that the addition of propionic acid in poultry feed at a dose of 0.75% did not negatively affect the internal organs and the length of the small intestine of broiler chickens

How to Stop Killing Patients with Healthcare-associated Infections

Background. Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), also known as nosocomial infections, are a significant cause of preventable death for patients receiving treatment for medical or surgical conditions. HAIs are attributed to 99,000 patient deaths in the United States annually. These infections rack up an estimated $20 billion of additional costs per year by extending the length of stay for hospitalized patients and increasing the cost of treatment at the same time. Current empirical findings highlight the severity and gravity of the effect that HAIs have on patient communities around the world. Methodology. The Google Scholar search engine was utilized with the search terms (a) nosocomial, (b) hospital-acquired infections, and (c) healthcare-associated infections for articles published between 2011 and 2018, written in English, yielding 13 articles. Supplemental information was gathered utilizing Papadakis’s 2017 edition of Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment. Results. Recent research has established that Staphylococcus aureus, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), is the leading nosocomial infection in the world. S. aureus infections are followed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli infections in incidence. The most common HAI manifestations include (a) surgical wound infections, (b) respiratory infections, and (c) genitourinary infections. However, central-line bloodstream infections are one of the deadliest with a mortality rate of 12-25%. Patient risk factors for HAIs include (a) age \u3e70, (b) mechanical ventilation, (c) indwelling catheter use, (d) intensive care unit stays \u3e3 days, and (e) immunocompromised states. These infections are most commonly caused by (a) violation of infection control practices, (b) a non-sterile environment, and (c) ill employees. After implementing CDC-based HAI preventative measures, multiple intensive care units in Michigan reported reductions as high as 66% for catheter-associated blood stream infections over a period of 18 months. The overall consensus amongst the studies was that adherence to proper hand hygiene and the standard precautions, including infection-route-specific prevention measures, reduces transmission of HAIs, length of patient stays, healthcare costs, and attributable mortality. Conclusions and Recommendations. HAIs continue to be a major cause of preventable death for hospitalized patients. Multiple articles have identified proper hand hygiene as the single most important factor in curtailing the acquisition of HAIs. Research has shown that a significant reduction of the transmission of these infections can be achieved through adherence to CDC’s HAI-prevention guidelines. Healthcare organizations should adopt the relevant CDC recommendations for preventing HAIs and take all necessary steps to ensure a high level of compliance

Anticipating parenthood among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Heterosexual young adults without children in Portugal: predictors and profiles

Parenthood is a highly valued life goal, independent of one’s sexual orientation. However, the majority of studies exploring young adults’ parenthood plans have relied exclusively on samples of heterosexual individuals. This study aimed (i) to explore differences in parenthood intentions as a function of sexual orientation, (ii) to investigate to what extent sociodemographic and psychological characteristics predict parenthood intentions of lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB), and heterosexual individuals, (iii) to test the mediating effect of stigma between sexual orientation and parenthood intentions, and (iv) to identify and characterize profiles of prospective parenthood (through cluster analysis). Data were gathered using an online survey from 375 self-identified LGB and heterosexual young adults without children in Portugal, with a mean age of 25.83 years old (SD = 4.49). Findings indicated that LGB individuals were less likely to intend to have children than heterosexual individuals; furthermore, among LGB individuals, lesbian women expressed stronger intentions to have children than did gay men. Similarities between heterosexual and LGB young adults were observed concerning the psychological determinants of parenthood intentions. Four distinctive profiles of prospective parenthood were identified: aspiring parents not anticipating stigma, aspiring parents anticipating stigma, childfree intent, and childfree ambivalent. Lesbian and bisexual women mostly populated the childfree ambivalent cluster; in contrast, the aspiring parents anticipating stigma cluster contained an overrepresentation of men, including sexual minority men. Professionals may want to attend to communalities and specificities of prospective parenthood as a function of sexual orientation, in order to provide unbiased and culturally competent support to sexual minority individuals

Shot noise approach to stochastic resonance

Ph.D.Kurt Wiesenfel