Evaluating the Efficacy of Exogenous Enzymes on Nutrient Digestibility and Broiler Performance

The objective of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of exogenous enzymes on nutrient digestibility and broiler performance. Experiment one evaluated the addition of a corn-screenings in low-energy corn-soybean meal diets with and without NSPase supplementation. The addition of corn-screenings hindered growth performance with reductions in feed consumption, body weight, and an increase in FCR. Removing energy in the diet increased FCR throughout the study. The inclusion of NSPase reduced FCR throughout the trial compared to the control. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of NSPase inclusion on growth performance in reduced energy diets containing lower quality feed ingredients. Experiment two consisted of three studies evaluating the inclusion of a cocktail NSPase in low-energy diets on broiler growth performance and processing. Each study consisted of three dietary treatments including a positive control (PC), negative control (NC) with a 132 kcal/kg reduction in energy, and NC with NSPase supplementation. Broiler performance was improved in each study with the inclusion of a cocktail NSPase increasing body weight and improving FCR. Furthermore, supplementing NSPase increased multiple processing parameters when compared to the reduced-energy diet. The results of this experiment confirm the ability of exogenous enzymes to improve broiler performance and processing parameters when included in reduced-energy diets. Experiment three determined the impact of increasing levels of phytase inclusion on nutrient digestibility, bone mineralization, and broiler performance. Reducing phosphorus levels in the NC negatively influenced bone mineralization, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance throughout the experiment. The supplementation of increasing doses of phytase linearly and quadratically improved all parameters evaluated when included in low-phosphorus broiler diets. Additionally, the supplementation of super-doses (> 1,500 FTU/kg) of phytase yielded more pronounced benefits when compared to phytase included at conventional levels justifying the potential use of greater concentrations of phytase in broiler diets. The results of this experiment suggest that greater levels of phytase may elicit a more pronounced improvement on nutrient digestibility, bone mineralization, and growth performance compared to conventional doses of phytase

Refined forest land use classification with implications for United States national carbon accounting

The United States provides annual estimates of carbon sources and sinks as part of its National Green-house Gas Inventory (NGHGI). Within this effort, carbon stocks and fluxes are reported for six land use categories that are relevant to economic sectors and land use policy. The goal of this study is to develop methodologies that will allow the US to align with an internationally agreed upon forest land use definition which requires forest to be able to reach 5 m in height at maturity. Models to assess height potential are available for a majority of US forests except for woodland ecosystems. We develop a set of models to assess height potential in these systems. Our results suggest that ∼13.5 million ha of forests are unlikely to meet the international definition of forests due to environmental limitations to maximum attainable height. The incorporation of this height criteria in the NGHGI results in a carbon stock transfer of ∼848 Tg from the forest land use to woodland land use (a sub-category of grasslands) with minimal effect on sequestration rates. The development of a forest land use definition sensitive to climatic factors in this study enables a land use classification system that can be responsive to climate change effects on land uses themselves while being more consistent across a host of international and domestic carbon reporting efforts

Examining the alcohol-related consequences of adult drinkers who self-report medicating low mood with alcohol: an analysis of the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions survey data.

The aim of this paper is to examine the alcohol-related consequences experienced by adults who experienced a two-week period of low mood and identify as a 'self-mediator' compared to those who do not. Our focus is on assessing whether the conceptualization of alcohol use disorder severity differs across adult drinkers who self-medicate with alcohol during a period of low mood, compared to those who do not. This study used secondary data from the NESARC survey. The analytic sample consisted of 5945 participants who answered questions from the alcohol abuse/dependence (alcohol experiences) section, in the last 12 months. The sample was split into four groups by whether they self-medicated with alcohol or not, and drank alcohol in the last year and their drinking class. The findings indicated that a one factor model was the best fit and all items were a strong indicator of alcohol use disorder. The two-parameter model had the best fit, indicating that the diagnostic criteria were placed as a good fit along a continuum of severity. It was revealed that the hazardous drinking group who self-medicated, experienced more consequences even at low levels of severity. As the self-medicating hazardous drinking group also showed the highest estimates for alcohol use disorder severity, this may indicate that this group are high functioning self-medicators who are trying to regulate their drinking, and may not be as clinically high risk as expected, due to their drinking patterns

Application of six sigma methodology to reduce defects of a grinding process

Six Sigma is a data-driven leadership approach using specific tools and methodologies that lead to fact-based decision making. This paper deals with the application of the Six Sigma methodology in reducing defects in a fine grinding process of an automotive company in India. The DMAIC (Define–Measure–Analyse–Improve–Control) approach has been followed here to solve the underlying problem of reducing process variation and improving the process yield. This paper explores how a manufacturing process can use a systematic methodology to move towards world-class quality level. The application of the Six Sigma methodology resulted in reduction of defects in the fine grinding process from 16.6 to 1.19%. The DMAIC methodology has had a significant financial impact on the profitability of the company in terms of reduction in scrap cost, man-hour saving on rework and increased output. A saving of approximately US$2.4 million per annum was reported from this project

Salinity and temperature affect the symbiont profile and host condition of Florida USA blue crabs Callinectes sapidus

Subtropical Florida blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus, exhibit differing life history traits compared to their temperate counterparts, likely influencing symbiont infection dynamics. Little information exists for Florida C. sapidus symbiont profiles, their distribution among various habitats, and influence on crab condition. Using histopathology, genomics, and transmission electron microscopy, we describe the first symbiont profiles for Florida C. sapidus occupying freshwater to marine habitats. Twelve symbiont groups were identified from 409 crabs including ciliophorans, digenean, microsporidian, Haplosporidia, Hematodinium sp., Nematoda, filamentous bacteria, gregarine, Callinectes sapidus nudivirus, Octolasmis sp., Cambarincola sp., and putative microcell. Overall, 78% of C. sapidus were documented with one or more symbiont groups demonstrating high infection rates in wild populations. Environmental variables water temperature and salinity explained 48% of the variation in symbiont groups among Florida habitats, and salinity was positively correlated with C. sapidus symbiont diversity. This suggests freshwater C. sapidus possess fewer symbionts and represent healthier individuals compared to saltwater populations. Crab condition was examined using the reflex action mortality predictor (RAMP) to determine if reflex impairment could be linked to symbiont prevalence. Symbionts were found positively correlated with crab condition, and impaired crabs were more likely to host symbionts, demonstrating symbiont inclusion may boost predictive ability of the RAMP application. The microsporidian symbiont group had a particularly strong effect on C. sapidus reflex response, and impairment was on average 1.57 times higher compared to all other symbiont groups. Our findings demonstrate the importance of considering full symbiont profiles and their associations with a spatially and temporally variable environment to fully assess C. sapidus population health.</p

Genomic Androgen Receptor-Occupied Regions with Different Functions, Defined by Histone Acetylation, Coregulators and Transcriptional Capacity

Background: The androgen receptor (AR) is a steroid-activated transcription factor that binds at specific DNA locations and plays a key role in the etiology of prostate cancer. While numerous studies have identified a clear connection between AR binding and expression of target genes for a limited number of loci, high-throughput elucidation of these sites allows for a deeper understanding of the complexities of this process. Methodology/Principal Findings: We have mapped 189 AR occupied regions (ARORs) and 1,388 histone H3 acetylation (AcH3) loci to a 3 % continuous stretch of human genomic DNA using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) microarray analysis. Of 62 highly reproducible ARORs, 32 (52%) were also marked by AcH3. While the number of ARORs detected in prostate cancer cells exceeded the number of nearby DHT-responsive genes, the AcH3 mark defined a subclass of ARORs much more highly associated with such genes – 12 % of the genes flanking AcH3+ARORs were DHT-responsive, compared to only 1 % of genes flanking AcH32ARORs. Most ARORs contained enhancer activities as detected in luciferase reporte

What should be done with antisocial personality disorder in the new edition of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM-V)?

Antisocial personality disorder, psychopathy, dissocial personality disorder and sociopathy are constructs that have generally been used to predict recidivism and dangerousness, alongside being used to exclude patients from treatment services. However, 'antisocial personality disorder' has recently begun to emerge as a treatment diagnosis, a development reflected within cognitive behaviour therapy and mentalisation-based psychotherapy. Many of the behaviour characteristics of antisocial personality disorder are, at the same time, being targeted by interventions at criminal justice settings. A significantly higher proportion of published articles focusing on antisocial personality concern treatment when compared to articles on psychopathy. Currently, the proposal for antisocial personality disorder for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, suggests a major change in the criteria for this disorder. While the present definition focuses mainly on observable behaviours, the proposed revision stresses interpersonal and emotional aspects of the disorder drawing on the concept of psychopathy. The present commentary suggests that developments leading to improvement in the diagnosis of this type of disorder should, rather than focusing exclusively on elements such as dangerousness and risk assessment, point us to ways in which patients can be treated for their problems

The current provision of community-based teaching in UK medical schools: an online survey and systematic review

Objective: To evaluate the current provision and outcome of community-based education (CBE) in UK medical schools. Design and data sources: An online survey of UK medical school websites and course prospectuses and a systematic review of articles from PubMed and Web of Science were conducted. Articles in the systematic review were assessed using Rossi, Lipsey and Freeman’s approach to programme evaluation. Study selection: Publications from November 1998 to 2013 containing information related to community teaching in undergraduate medical courses were included. Results: Out of the 32 undergraduate UK medical schools, one was excluded due to the lack of course specifications available online. Analysis of the remaining 31 medical schools showed that a variety of CBE models are utilised in medical schools across the UK. Twenty-eight medical schools (90.3%) provide CBE in some form by the end of the first year of undergraduate training, and 29 medical schools (93.5%) by the end of the second year. From the 1378 references identified, 29 papers met the inclusion criteria for assessment. It was found that CBE mostly provided advantages to students as well as other participants, including GP tutors and patients. However, there were a few concerns regarding the lack of GP tutors’ knowledge in specialty areas, the negative impact that CBE may have on the delivery of health service in education settings and the cost of CBE. Conclusions: Despite the wide variations in implementation, community teaching was found to be mostly beneficial. To ensure the relevance of CBE for ‘Tomorrow’s Doctors’, a national framework should be established, and solutions sought to reduce the impact of the challenges within CBE. Strengths and limitations of this study: This is the first study to review how community-based education is currently provided throughout Medical Schools in the UK. The use of Rossi, Lipsey and Freeman’s method of programme evaluation means that the literature was analysed in a consistent and comprehensive way. However, a weakness is that data from the online survey was obtained from online medical school prospectuses. This means the data may be incomplete or out of date. Data in the literature review may also be skewed by publication bias

Do mothers prefer helpers or smaller litters? Birth sex-ratio and litter size adjustment in cotton-top tamarins

Boulton, R. A., & Fletcher, A. W. (2015). Do mothers prefer helpers or smaller litters? Birth sex-ratio and litter size adjustment in cotton-top tamarins. Ecology & Evolution, 5(3), 598-606 Copyright (c)2015, the authors, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.1396/fullSex allocation theory has been a remarkably productive field in behavioural ecology with empirical evidence regularly supporting quantitative theoretical predictions. Across mammals in general and primates in particular however, support for the various hypotheses has been more equivocal. Population level sex ratio biases have often been interpreted as supportive, but evidence for small scale facultative adjustment has rarely been found. The helper repayment (HR) also named the local resource enhancement (LRE) hypothesis predicts that, in cooperatively breeding species, mothers invest more in the sex which assists with rearing future offspring, and that this bias will be more pronounced in mothers who require extra assistance (i.e. due to inexperience or a lack of available alloparents). We tested these hypotheses in captive cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) utilising the international studbook and birth records obtained through a questionnaire from ISIS registered institutions. Infant sex, litter size, mother’s age, parity and group composition (presence of non-reproductive subordinate males and females) were determined from these records. The HR hypothesis was supported over the entire population, which was significantly biased towards males (the ‘helpful’ sex). We found little support for helper repayment at the individual level, as primiparous females and those in groups without alloparents did not exhibit more extreme tendencies to produce male infants. Primiparous females were, however, more likely to produce singleton litters. Singleton births were more likely to be male, which suggests that there may be an interaction between litter size adjustment and sex allocation. This may be interpreted as supportive of the HR hypothesis, but alternative explanations at both the proximate and ultimate levels are possible. These possibilities warrant further consideration when attempting to understand the ambiguous results of primate sex ratio studies so far