“You’re going to serve people from all different backgrounds”: CSD Students’ Perceptions of an Introductory Online Social Justice Program

Constructs of social justice has become an increasingly prevalent area of interest in the field of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD). In fact, competencies related to social justice are required program content per the Council of Academic Accreditation in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology. This study’s purpose was to describe and evaluate an online, introductory course designed to address such concepts. Students’ perceptions of (a) the concept of social justice, (b) program content, and (c) program usability were examined. Undergraduate students from two universities completed the program, and a sample of students provided data about their perceptions during pre-program and post-program semi-structured interviews. Using a qualitative design (i.e., thematic analysis) the authors identified themes reflected in the data. This data revealed that the students had little to no prior experience with social justice yet were motivated to learn more about the topic due to perceptions that the topic is important to the field. Analysis of the program content and usability revealed that the students perceived an increase in knowledge and self-awareness. Outcomes show that the program holds promise and supports further study to evaluate program impact on students’ attitudes and beliefs

Ventilatie van broedmachines 2: gevolgen voor kuiken kwaliteit

Tijdens het broeden zijn verschillende niveaus van ventilatie met elkaar vergeleken. Uit de resultaten bleek dat, hoewel de behandeling geen duidelijke invloed had op de broedresultaten, er wel verschillen werden geconstateerd tijdens de mestperiode

Invloed leeftijd ouderdieren op bewaarmogelijkheden broedeieren

Als broedeieren gedurende langere tijd worden bewaard lopen de broedresultaten terug. Dit effect is echter sterker voor eieren van oude moederdieren dan voor eieren van jonge dieren

Class III β-tubulin expression as a predictor of docetaxel-resistance in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer

About half of the patients treated with docetaxel in the setting of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) are non-responders. Therefore, a marker of response would be beneficial for clinical decision-making. We evaluated class III β-tubulin (βIII-tubulin) expression as a predictor of resistance in this setting, which previously has been correlated with lack of response to taxanes in other cancers. Patients with CRPC were included if they were treated with at least 3 cycles of docetaxel between 1990 and 2011. βIII-tubulin expression was assessed by immunostaining, which was performed in tissue samples obtained either via biopsy or prostatectomy at the time of diagnosis. Rates of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response and overall survival (OS) following docetaxel treatment were compared between patients with high (2+ or 3+ staining) vs. low (0 or 1+ staining) βIII-tubulin expression. Of 73 patients, 26 (35%) had a high expression of βIII-tubulin. A PSA decline of 10% or greater occurred in 65% of patients with a high βIII-tubulin expression vs. 89% with a low βIII-tubulin expression (p = 0.0267). The median OS for patients with a high βIII-tubulin expression was 17.4 (95% CI 8.7-21.0) months vs. 19.8 (95% CI 16.6-23.6) months for patients with a low expression (p = 0.039). Our results show that a high βIII-tubulin expression is a negative prognostic factor in metastatic CRPC patients treated with docetaxel

Ontwikkeling van methoden voor het monitoren van voetzoollaesies bij vleeskuikens = Development of methods to monitor foot pad lesions in broiler chickens

This report describes different methods for classification and monitoring foot pad dermatitis in broiler chickens, including an automatic system using video imaging

Asian elephants as ecological filters in Sundaic forests

Megaherbivores exert strong top-down influence on the ecosystems they inhabit, yet little is known about the foraging impacts of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) on the structure of Southeast Asia’s rainforests. Our goal was to document Asian elephants’ dietary composition, selectivity, and foraging impacts in a Sundaic rainforest and test whether these differed between habitats. We conducted controlled direct observations of five wild-born captive elephants feeding on six plant types (bamboo, grass, monocot herbs, palms, lianas, and trees) of different age 2 in two habitats (mature vs. early successional forest) in Krau, Peninsular Malaysia. Palms, trees, and lianas formed the bulk of the elephants’ diet. In the mature forest, elephants showed a strong preference for monocots (preference ratio, PR = 5.1), particularly large palms (PR = 5.4), while trees were negatively selected (PR = 0.14). Conversely, in early successional habitats, large tree saplings were positively selected (PR = 1.6). Elephants uprooted (30%) and broke the main stem (30%) of the dicot trees, mainly large saplings, that they handled. Tree saplings broken by elephants had an average diameter of 1.7 ± 1.1 cm (up to 7 cm), with breaks happening at 1.1 ± 0.5 m of height. We estimated that, in a year, an elephant could damage (i.e., either uproot or break) around 39,000 tree saplings if it fed entirely in mature forest, and almost double the number (73,000) if it fed solely in early successional habitats. Assuming a density of 0.05–0.18 elephants/km2, elephant foraging could damage 0.2–0.6% of the tree sapling population per year. Slow growth rates of understory plants in mature forests could result in negative feedbacks, whereby elephants suppress palms, other monocots, and highly preferred tree species. Alternatively, elephants may initiate positive feedbacks by impeding succession along forest edges and in semi-open environments, thereby increasing the size of gaps and the availability of their preferred foodplants. Overall, our results show that Asian elephants act as ecological filters by suppressing the plants they prefer in Southeast Asia’s rainforests

Asian elephants as ecological filters in Sundaic forests

Megaherbivores exert strong top-down influence on the ecosystems they inhabit, yet little is known about the foraging impacts of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) on the structure of Southeast Asia’s rainforests. Our goal was to document Asian elephants’ dietary composition, selectivity, and foraging impacts in a Sundaic rainforest and test whether these differed between habitats. We conducted controlled direct observations of five wild-born captive elephants feeding on six plant types (bamboo, grass, monocot herbs, palms, lianas, and trees) of different age 2 in two habitats (mature vs. early successional forest) in Krau, Peninsular Malaysia. Palms, trees, and lianas formed the bulk of the elephants’ diet. In the mature forest, elephants showed a strong preference for monocots (preference ratio, PR = 5.1), particularly large palms (PR = 5.4), while trees were negatively selected (PR = 0.14). Conversely, in early successional habitats, large tree saplings were positively selected (PR = 1.6). Elephants uprooted (30%) and broke the main stem (30%) of the dicot trees, mainly large saplings, that they handled. Tree saplings broken by elephants had an average diameter of 1.7 ± 1.1 cm (up to 7 cm), with breaks happening at 1.1 ± 0.5 m of height. We estimated that, in a year, an elephant could damage (i.e., either uproot or break) around 39,000 tree saplings if it fed entirely in mature forest, and almost double the number (73,000) if it fed solely in early successional habitats. Assuming a density of 0.05–0.18 elephants/km2, elephant foraging could damage 0.2–0.6% of the tree sapling population per year. Slow growth rates of understory plants in mature forests could result in negative feedbacks, whereby elephants suppress palms, other monocots, and highly preferred tree species. Alternatively, elephants may initiate positive feedbacks by impeding succession along forest edges and in semi-open environments, thereby increasing the size of gaps and the availability of their preferred foodplants. Overall, our results show that Asian elephants act as ecological filters by suppressing the plants they prefer in Southeast Asia’s rainforests

Effect of iso-energetic exchange of dietary fat and starch on growth performance and body composition of broilers : Experiment 1

Dietary factors such as the concentrations of protein/amino acids, fat, and starch + sugar and their ratio, may affect the post-absorptive metabolism of energy and protein and energy deposition in the body. In a 2x2 factorial design, the effects of two dietary crude protein (high protein (HP) vs. low protein (LP) concentrations; 200/190 vs. 170/160 g/kg in grower and finisher phase) and two dietary fat/starch concentrations; (high fat (HF); fat and starch 105 and 340 g/kg, respectively) and (low fat (LF); fat and starch 65 and 420 g/kg, respectively) on growth performance and body composition of Ross 308 broilers were studied (9 to 35 d). From this experiment it can be concluded that dietary energy source and protein level in iso-energetic diets, balanced for first limiting essential amino acids, influence growth performance and body composition of broilers