Effect of the Polysaccharide Extract from the Edible Mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus against Infectious Bursal Disease Virus

The polysaccharide-containing extracellular fractions (EFs) of the edible mushroom Pleurotus ostreatus have immunomodulating effects. Being aware of these therapeutic effects of mushroom extracts, we have investigated the synergistic relations between these extracts and BIAVAC and BIAROMVAC vaccines. These vaccines target the stimulation of the immune system in commercial poultry, which are extremely vulnerable in the first days of their lives. By administrating EF with polysaccharides from P. ostreatus to unvaccinated broilers we have noticed slow stimulation of maternal antibodies against infectious bursal disease (IBD) starting from four weeks post hatching. For the broilers vaccinated with BIAVAC and BIAROMVAC vaccines a low to almost complete lack of IBD maternal antibodies has been recorded. By adding 5% and 15% EF in the water intake, as compared to the reaction of the immune system in the previous experiment, the level of IBD antibodies was increased. This has led us to believe that by using this combination of BIAVAC and BIAROMVAC vaccine and EF from P. ostreatus we can obtain good results in stimulating the production of IBD antibodies in the period of the chicken first days of life, which are critical to broilers’ survival. This can be rationalized by the newly proposed reactivity biological activity (ReBiAc) principles by examining the parabolic relationship between EF administration and recorded biological activity

Loans, logins and lasting the course: Academic library use and student retention

Activities and services that improve student engagement and retention in the higher education sector are important not only to individual student’s success but also to university planning and funding. This paper reports on a quantitative study that was carried out to explore whether use of the library by new university students is associated with continued enrolment. Students’ socioeconomic background and age were also examined in relation to library use. Limited to commencing students in March 2010 at Curtin University, the study drew on demographic data from the University’s enrolment system and instances of library use from the Library’s management system. Results of the statistical analyses indicate that library use is associated with retention, and importantly, library use in the early weeks of a student’s first semester is associated with retention. ‘Mature aged’ (21 years and over) students displayed different library use patterns than their younger colleagues and there was some variation in library use between students from different socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings from this study suggest that academic libraries can contribute to the retention of students and that carefully targeted programs and services may improve library use by some groups of students

Assessment of attitudes, behaviors, knowledge and perceptions of educational needs of the insulin-dependent diabetic college student

One-hundred and thirty two insulin-dependent diabetic college students in the state of Indiana comprised the study sample. Within this study, the attitudes, behaviors, knowledge and perceived educational needs were assessed from the sample through a questionnaire. The college students with diabetes who were currently attending either one of the participating sixteen schools or under the care of one physician participating in this study, were voluntarily asked to respond to a 64 item questionnaire by mail. A 53 percent (70 of 132) response rate was achieved. The findings showed that the subjects displayed positive attitudes, an adequate knowledge level and adequate behavior practices. The results also revealed a need for educational programs aimed specifically towards the college student with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Such an education program would include topics which the subjects rated as being of importance to them. Considerations for further study include the effect of these behaviors, attitudes, knowledge levels, and perceived education needs directly on blood glucose control.Thesis (M.S.)Department of Physiology and Health Scienc

Assessing Sediment Loading from Croplands

Abstract: Soil erosion and sedimentation is one of the main environmental concerns in the Great Lakes Basin. Sediment dredging projects cost over $20 million in the Great Lakes each year. Sediment transport models are being developed to assist State and local resource agencies in reducing sediment and pollutants loading to navigation channels and Areas of Concerns (AOCs), and thus in reducing the costs for navigation maintenance and sediment remediation. To archive sediment reduction goals, it is important to identify areas with high sediment yield that can be of dredging concern. Controlling sediment loads also requires knowledge and quantitative assessment of soil erosion and the sediment transport process. An overall analysis on Great Lakes tributaries was conducted to assess and compare their relative loadings of sediments, state of conservation practices, and their potential for further reductions to sediment and contaminant loadings. GIS-Based erosion model and sediment delivery model were used to estimate the potential sediment loading from agricultural croplands with different practice scenarios in the Great Lakes Basin. Over 100 sub-watersheds based on U.S. Geological Survey's 8-digit watersheds were analyzed. Watersheds as potentially high contributors of sediment to the Great Lakes have been assessed

Long-Range Effectiveness of Library Use Instruction

published or submitted for publicatio

Effectiveness of Pocket Wave Absorbers in Vertical-Wall, Coastal Entrance Structures

preliminary information on the effectiveness of pocket wave absorbers (relative to wave conditions) in vertical steel sheet-pile coastal entrance structures. OVERVIEW: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for dozens of harbor entrances in the Great Lakes constructed with parallel jetties. These jetties, many in operation for more than 100 years, were typically constructed of rock-filled timber cribs. Over time, the wood cribbing has experienced significant deterioration, thus causing the jetty to be rather porous. Many of these structures have been rehabilitated. The typical rehabilitation approach has been to drive steel sheet pile around the existing structure and place a concrete cap on top, thereby encasing the original structure. After completion of the rehabilitation projects, the wave climate between the jetties appears to increase significantly causing navigational difficulties and damage to moored vessels within the harbor. This is apparently due to the fact that the timber crib jetties were rough, porous structures, especially in their deteriorated state, and were much more effective at dampening wave energy than the rehabilitated, sheet-pile encased jetties. The steel sheet-pile structures, being considerably more reflective than the deteriorating timber structures, are largely responsible for the increasingly energetic wave climate. To mitigate for the more energetic wave climate, the Corps has remove

Anthropogenic Impacts to the Sediment Budget of São Francisco River Navigation Channel using SWAT

The São Francisco River Basin, located in eastern Brazil, has undergone a significant amount of anthropogenic changes in the last several decades, such as agricultural expansion, irrigation activities, mining, and the construction of large dams. Together, these changes have altered the historic sediment budget and have led to an aggradation of sediments in the navigation channel, impacting the ability to efficiently ship agricultural commodities to regional ports. In an effort to aid decision makers in future waterway navigation planning, an international partnership between the Brazilian government agency CODEVASF and the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) was created. Through this partnership a SWAT model of the 630 000 km2 São Francisco River basin was developed to better understand both the historic and current sediment budget within the navigation channel. The SWAT model of the São Francisco River Basin was calibrated for hydrology and sediment loads. Monthly discharges were calibrated at 17 Agência Nacional de Águas (ANA) gages, with Nash-Sutcliffe efficiency (NSE) values ranging from 0.42 to 0.75 for an eleven year simulation. Sediment loads were calibrated to an ANA sediment gage located in the Middle São Francisco River Navigation Channel, with a PBIAS (Percent Bias) of 11.6. Based on model results, the aggradation rate of sediment in the São Francisco River and major tributaries has increased by approximately 20 Mt since Pre-European settlement of the basin (from approximately 7 Mt/a to 27 Mt/a). This increase has contributed to an impaired navigation channel due to shoaling of sandy sediments in the navigation channel