A Comparative Study of the Effects of Microalgae on Poultry Production

Research has shown Spirulina to be a viable feedstuff in poultry production. Other species of microalgae are being studied to determine their effects on poultry production. This project compared four microalgaes: Hydrodictyon, Vaucheria, Uronema, and Spirulina and was broken down into three trials. The first experiment investigated the digestibility of an algae species, Spirulina, in broiler chicken diets. Eighty, 25-day-old Ross 708 broiler chicks were sorted into 20 metabolism cages and received one of two diets: Control Diet or Test Diet (75% basal diet + 25% Spirulina). The apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (AIAAD) of lysine, methionine, cysteine, threonine, isoleucine, valine and arginine in Spirulina was 94.5%, 91.3%, 56.1%, 71.4%, 76.8%, 69.8% and 90.4% respectively. Apparent metabolizable energy (AME) of Spirulina was 2279 kcal/kg. The second experiment focused on digestibility of Spirulina and novel algae species in laying hens. Sixty, 80-week-old Lohman LSL-Lite laying hens were randomly assigned to Control Diet, Hydrodictyon Test Diet (87.5% basal diet + 12.5% hydrodictyon), 12.5% or one of three other test diets (75% basal diet + 25% Spirulina, Uronema, and Vaucheria). Spirulina diets contained the highest crude protein (25.5%) and methionine levels (0.68%). Uronema had the highest gross energy content of 3880.5 kcal/kg and lysine levels (1.12%). Hydrodictyon diet was the most nutritionally similar to the control. Crude protein was at 15.3% and 16.6% for control and Hydrodictyon respectively. Gross energy was 3429.6 kcal/g in control versus 3316.1 kcal/kg in Hydrodictyon. Lastly, crude fat was 2.7% compared to Hydrodictyon at 2.4%. The last trial was to determine the effects of the addition of microalgae in the diet on laying hen production. Seventy-eight, 23-month-old laying hens were assigned to 1 of 3 of the following experimental diets: control, control + 1% microalgae, or control + 2% microalgae. Microalgae, regardless of inclusion level, had no significant effect on egg weight in this study. Increasing level of inclusion of Spirulina, Hydrodictyon, and Uronema from 0 to 2 % significantly increased yolk color. Vaucheria influenced yolk color at the 2% level. No significance differences shown from any of the algae species regardless of inclusion level for egg weight, egg mass, shell thickness, shell strength, shell weight, albumen weight, yolk weight, and albumen height. In addition, there was no significant difference in feed conversion ratio, feed intake, body weight, or tibial strength between the treatments. However, as these are novel algaes, further studies are required to determine the true usability in poultry production

Seeking Information Online: A Study of Interpersonal Interactions on an Online College Review Forum

Online review and discussion forums are a popular way consumers seek information about products, vacation destinations, and restaurants. They provide consumers with the unique opportunity to bypass the voice of the expert or company owner. The increasingly high-stakes and ambiguous U.S. college admissions process leads prospective college students and parents to utilize college review forums to ask questions and seek information from peers, current college students, and even admissions counselors online. These conversations can often be characterized as brutally honest and subject to scrutiny but are viewed by thousands of users like those found on College Confidential. Although current communication studies have examined the impact product and restaurant reviews have on their viewers, research has not analyzed the impact of the information presented in a high-stakes setting like the college search and selection process. To study the types of questions and information users share online, as well as response patterns and credential disclosure, I performed a content analysis of 48 conversation threads from a popular online college review forum. Results found that while most of the requests for information came from prospective college students, the majority of users who provided information supplied no information by which to be identified. I conclude that information produced by anonymous users online is apparently trusted to a greater degree than one might think, although users successfully provide requested information.Ope

Supervision in the Digital Age: Online Sexual Solicitation of Children and Youth

Since the creation of the internet, offenders have been using cyberspace as a means to solicit children and adolescents for sexual content. With children having unrestricted access to the internet at an earlier age than ever before, it is crucial for academics to better understand the digital world in order to protect children online. This study aims to understand the relationship between internet activities, age, and online sexual solicitation largely using an environmental criminology framework, utilizing the Routine Activities Theory by Cohen and Felson (1979) and Target Congruence Theory by Finkelhor and Asdigian (1996). The sample of this study consisted of 515 undergraduate students at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas who completed an online survey on their internet use behaviors and experiences with online sexual victimization. Data analysis was done by performing repeated measure ANOVAs, correlations, and regressions to predict online solicitation. Being sexually groomed online is the statistically significant predictor of experiencing online sexual solicitation. This study also found that solicitation is more common amongst adolescents who are older, use their smartphone regularly, and use social media apps

Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior During and After Pregnancy and Postpartum Weight Retention

INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE Pregnancy is associated with increased changes in body weight that can shape long-term health in women. Previous studies have shown that increased prenatal physical activity and decreased sedentary time correlated with less excessive gestational weight gain. Little is known about how leisure time exercise and sedentary behavior affects postpartum weight retention. The aim of our study was to identify how sedentary behavior and leisure time physical activity, both mid-pregnancy and after pregnancy, relate to postpartum weight retention from 6 months to 3 years after childbirth. METHODS A total of 79 women who delivered a singleton infant 6-months to 3-years ago were included in this study. Participants self-reported whether they lost the weight gained during pregnancy (yes/no). The mean age of women who had postpartum weight retention was 32 ± 1 years, and 33 ± 1 years for women who lost their weight gained during gestation. Participants also self-reported mid-pregnancy and current leisure time physical activity and sedentary behavior using validated questionnaires. RESULTS Of the participants who were sufficiently active during pregnancy and after pregnancy, sufficiently active at one time point, or insufficiently active at both time points, 64% (9/14), 40% (10/25), and 59% (22/37) of participants lost all the weight gained during pregnancy, respectively. There was no significant difference between the three groups (p=0.22). For the participants who had high sedentary behavior at two time points, low sedentary behavior at one time point, and low sedentary behavior at two time points, 54% (14/26), 58% (11/19), and 50% (11/22) of participants lost all the weight, respectively. There was no significant difference between the three groups (p=0.88). CONCLUSION Women who performed a sufficient amount of exercise at both time points were not more likely to lose the weight gained during pregnancy. Based on our data, sedentary behavior during and after pregnancy do not seem to be associated with whether gestational weight gain is retained or lost post-pregnancy. Further research with larger sample sizes is recommended to establish the relationship between postpartum weight retention and longitudinal patterns in exercise and sedentary behavior, both during and post-pregnancy

Group Differences in Active Coping Abilities Among Individuals and Families Impacted by Developmental Disabilities

Individuals with developmental disabilities (DD) are disproportionately impacted by the negative outcomes associated with COVID-19, potentially impacting their coping abilities (Abedi et al., 2020). This study examined the coping strategies utilized by 106 individuals and caregivers impacted by DD. Results indicated that parents of children with DD who also have a DD themselves engage in greater levels of active coping compared to parents of children with DD and adults with DD. These findings suggest parents with DD may develop strengths in problem-focused coping by learning to manage challenges associated with their experience of having a DD

The Effects Stress has on Coping Strategies in Populations Uniquely Impacted by Both Developmental Disabilities and COVID-19

Populations with developmental disabilities (DD) are at heightened risk of becoming infected with COVID-19, which may lead to high levels of stress challenging their ability to cope effectively. This study was part of a larger web-based survey focused on those uniquely impacted by DD and their coping mechanisms. Participants were 106 individuals and families uniquely impacted by DD. Results indicated perceived stress predicted maladaptive coping mechanisms, however it did not predict adaptive coping mechanisms. These findings highlight the need for more support for these populations, with an emphasis on utilizing adaptive coping strategies when under greater levels of perceived stress

Investigating Gender Differences, Loneliness, and the Coping Skills of Individuals with Developmental Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Studies have indicated that the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in widespread isolation, which has increased the risk of psychological harm on individuals with developmental disabilities (DD). Previous research posits that adaptive coping is a protective factor against loneliness with females being more likely to engage in active coping than males, but more research is needed on individuals identifying as non-binary. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine adaptive coping, loneliness, and gender differences of individuals impacted by DD. Results indicated that higher adaptive coping scores predicted lower loneliness scores and females displayed higher adaptive coping than non-binary individuals

At risk of being risky: The relationship between "brain age" under emotional states and risk preference.

Developmental differences regarding decision making are often reported in the absence of emotional stimuli and without context, failing to explain why some individuals are more likely to have a greater inclination toward risk. The current study (N=212; 10-25y) examined the influence of emotional context on underlying functional brain connectivity over development and its impact on risk preference. Using functional imaging data in a neutral brain-state we first identify the "brain age" of a given individual then validate it with an independent measure of cortical thickness. We then show, on average, that "brain age" across the group during the teen years has the propensity to look younger in emotional contexts. Further, we show this phenotype (i.e. a younger brain age in emotional contexts) relates to a group mean difference in risk perception - a pattern exemplified greatest in young-adults (ages 18-21). The results are suggestive of a specified functional brain phenotype that relates to being at "risk to be risky.

Exoskeletal predator defenses of juvenile California spiny lobsters (Panulirus interruptus) are affected by fluctuating ocean acidification-like conditions

Spiny lobsters rely on multiple biomineralized exoskeletal predator defenses that may be sensitive to ocean acidification (OA). Compromised mechanical integrity of these defensive structures may tilt predator-prey outcomes, leading to increased mortality in the lobsters’ environment. Here, we tested the effects of OA-like conditions on the mechanical integrity of selected exoskeletal defenses of juvenile California spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. Young spiny lobsters reside in kelp forests with dynamic carbonate chemistry due to local metabolism and photosynthesis as well as seasonal upwelling, yielding daily and seasonal fluctuations in pH. Lobsters were exposed to a series of stable and diurnally fluctuating reduced pH conditions for three months (ambient pH/stable, 7.97; reduced pH/stable 7.67; reduced pH with low fluctuations, 7.67 ± 0.05; reduced pH with high fluctuations, 7.67 ± 0.10), after which we examined the intermolt composition (Ca and Mg content), ultrastructure (cuticle and layer thickness), and mechanical properties (hardness and stiffness) of selected exoskeletal predator defenses. Cuticle ultrastructure was consistently robust to pH conditions, while mineralization and mechanical properties were variable. Notably, the carapace was less mineralized under both reduced pH treatments with fluctuations, but with no effect on material properties, and the rostral horn had lower hardness in reduced/high fluctuating conditions without a corresponding difference in mineralization. Antennal flexural stiffness was lower in reduced, stable pH conditions compared to the reduced pH treatment with high fluctuations and not correlated with changes in cuticle structure or mineralization. These results demonstrate a complex relationship between mineralization and mechanical properties of the exoskeleton under changing ocean chemistry, and that fluctuating reduced pH conditions can induce responses not observed under the stable reduced pH conditions often used in OA research. Furthermore, this study shows that some juvenile California spiny lobster exoskeletal defenses are responsive to changes in ocean carbonate chemistry, even during the intermolt period, in ways that can potentially increase susceptibility to predation among this critical life stage