Effects of hourly, daily and seasonal variation of hazardous gases and climatic factors on the welfare of sheep housed in solid-floor confinement barns

Ambient air quality in livestock buildings is one of the most important factors affecting environmental pollution and global warming. Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen sulphide (H2S) are among the most hazardous gases in terms of human and animal health. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of hourly, daily and seasonal variations in the levels of hazardous gases, such as CO2, CH4, NH3 and H2S in a solid-floor confinement sheep barn; as well as the effect of climatic parameters, temperature (T), relative humidity (RH) and air flow (AF) on animal welfare. The correlation between hazardous gases and climatic factors in the barn was also determined. The study was carried out on a sheep farm between July 2012 and June 2013 in Konya (Turkey) where few data are currently available on this subject. Climatic data were measured at intervals of five minutes at different points during this study, while hazardous gases were measured at the same intervals during the experimental periods (10 days for each season). All data were analysed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s method was used to reveal intergroup differences. Cross-bilateral correlation between all data and different time periods was examined. There were significant differences between hourly and daily mean values of CO2, NH3, T, RH and AF. CO2 and NH3 levels showed a significant correlation with T and RH. Unfortunately, H2S and CH4 were below the level of detection in the study. Reducing the formation of these harmful gases, which have negative effects on animal production and cause environmental pollution, will be carried out with new sheep barn designs that take into account ambient air quality appropriate for animal welfare.Keywords: Ambient air quality, animal production, CH4, CO2, environmental pollution, H2S, NH3, sheep bar

Antecedents of memorable heritage tourism experiences: an application of stimuli–organism–response theory

Purpose: Based on stimulus-organism-response theory, this study aims to develop and tests a model of memorable heritage tourism experience (MHTE). The model proposes that experiencescape, experience co-creation, education and photography are important antecedents of MHTE, which is then a driver of place attachment. Design/methodology/approach: Data for this study were collected using a Web-based questionnaire of people aged 18 years and over who had a heritage tourism experience during the previous three months (February–April 2023). The survey was distributed in May 2023 using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). A survey link was posted on MTurk, which remained active for the first week of May 2023. Out of the 283 responses received, 272 were valid responses from individuals who met the participation criteria. Findings: Experiencescape, experience co-creation, education and photography were found to be positive drivers of the MHTE, with a positive relationship between MHTE and place attachment. Originality/value: Many studies linked to memorable tourism experience (MTE) mainly replicate Kim, Ritchie, & McCormick’s (2012) MTE scale, regardless of the specific study context. This study offers an alternative framework through which alternative antecedents and outcomes of tourists’ MTE can be identified

Research priorities in prehabilitation for patients undergoing cancer surgery: an international Delphi study

Background Recently, the number of prehabilitation trials has increased significantly. The identification of key research priorities is vital in guiding future research directions. Thus, the aim of this collaborative study was to define key research priorities in prehabilitation for patients undergoing cancer surgery. Methods The Delphi methodology was implemented over three rounds of surveys distributed to prehabilitation experts from across multiple specialties, tumour streams and countries via a secure online platform. In the first round, participants were asked to provide baseline demographics and to identify five top prehabilitation research priorities. In successive rounds, participants were asked to rank research priorities on a 5-point Likert scale. Consensus was considered if > 70% of participants indicated agreement on each research priority. Results A total of 165 prehabilitation experts participated, including medical doctors, physiotherapists, dieticians, nurses, and academics across four continents. The first round identified 446 research priorities, collated within 75 unique research questions. Over two successive rounds, a list of 10 research priorities reached international consensus of importance. These included the efficacy of prehabilitation on varied postoperative outcomes, benefit to specific patient groups, ideal programme composition, cost efficacy, enhancing compliance and adherence, effect during neoadjuvant therapies, and modes of delivery. Conclusions This collaborative international study identified the top 10 research priorities in prehabilitation for patients undergoing cancer surgery. The identified priorities inform research strategies, provide future directions for prehabilitation research, support resource allocation and enhance the prehabilitation evidence base in cancer patients undergoing surgery

A review on Antimicrobial effect of Natural Preservatives in foods

BACKGROUND: Food health is a fundamental issue from the perspective of both food consumers and food industry owners. Furthermore, multiple reports of infections resulted from contaminated foods have made the issues of food health, presentation of strategies for food pathogens control, and more protection of foods, crucial. In fact, the necessity to have healthy foods with high durability points out the ongoing need of having food preservatives. Iran is one of the world's richest regions in terms of medicinal plants' number and variety. In the case of accurate identification, these plants can play an important role in the health of community. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of different oils and extracts on various bacteria. METHODS: In this study, a large number of related articles were received from internal and external databases to be evaluated. Among 127 received papers, 43 articles were selected based on their titles and abstracts for further investigations. FINDINGS: According to various studies, it was further determined that Gram-negative bacteria are resistant to antimicrobials, because they have hydrophilic surfaces in membrane layers and unique periplasmic space. As far as hydrophilic surfaces of these bacteria have many LPS molecules that act as a barrier against antimicrobials and since they have relation with enzymes of periplasmic space, enzymes which can decompose molecules of outer layer, CONCLUSION: The effect of oils on gram-positive bacteria was more than gram-negative ones

Developing message content sent via WhatsApp for improving quitting success rate

Aim To present the content development study of support messages to be sent via WhatsApp embedded to smoking cessation healthcare service to increase the individuals’ success rate. Methods After the literature review, 178 key messages were gathered supporting smoking cessation. Similar messages related to "preparation" and "action" phases of the Transtheoretical Model were combined and a total of 60 key messages were obtained. Messages have been transformed into graphic images and sending period has also been determined for each message. Graphic messages were sent to field experts and individuals with quitting experience via an online questionnaire. Participants were asked to rate each graphic message in terms of content and appropriateness of sending period on a Likert-type scale (1: Absolutely no - 5: Absolutely yes). Messages with 4.0 and higher average scores were decided appropriate and, others were revised. After the revision, messages were sent back to the both participant groups again and, they were asked to evaluate with the same scale. Results A total of 60 messages were developed (seven for pre-quitting and, 53 for quitting phase). All (n=14) participants (seven from expert and seven from quitters group) were responded in the first round and 10 (71.4%) in the second round. The average score of the messages in the first round; 4.4 ± 1.0 in the expert group, 4.6 ± 0.8 in the quitters group and 4.5 ± 0.9 for all participants. The number of messages below the cutoff point were five (8.3%) in the expert and two (3.3%) in the quitters group. The average score of messages in the second round; 4.9 ± 0.3 in the expert group, 4.7 ± 0.6 in the quitters group and 4.8 ± 0.4 for all participants. In this round, all messages’ average scores were found above (> 4.0) the cut-off point. Conclusions Study was conducted with a multidisciplinary participation. Sixty messages were created to support quitters according to stages of Transtheoretical model. A consensus developed on these graphic messages among field experts and individuals with quitting experience in terms of content and sending period

Cultural heritage in Palestine: challenges and opportunities

Palestine is a physical and symbolic space of great importance to three major monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The land of many narratives stands in the midst of dynamic interactions that affect many aspects of people’s lives. Protecting, conserving, and promoting heritage and history for development are essential responsibilities of many stakeholders in the cultural sector. Moreover, cultural heritage and the creative industries have considerable potential for the economic development and sustainability of a Palestinian state. This chapter will deal with cultural heritage in Palestine and report the recent developments that took place in terms of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and protection initiatives. In addition, this chapter will address the obstacles, impacts of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and opportunities of this particular market