Diversity of Bacterial and Archaeal Populations in Artificial Rumen Fermentors Fed Differing Pasture Diets

Rumens harbor diverse groups of microorganisms. These microorganisms help ruminants in efficient digestion of a wide variety of feed materials. Most of these microorganisms are anaerobic and work symbiotically with the host. The amount of microbial diversity depends on the types of substrates present in the feed. Although some of these microorganisms have been cultured and characterized, the majority of them are unknown because they are unculturable. With the development of molecular techniques such as Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE), Temperature Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (TGGE), Automated Ribosomal Intergenic Spacer Analysis (ARISA), Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP), Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (TRFLP) etc., now it is possible to quantify existing rumen microbial diversity, even if the microorganisms are not culturable. Previous studies on rumen ecosystems have shown that microbial populations generally vary with diet. A majority of these studies emphasized changes in bacterial communities in relation to grain diets, and less emphasis was given to traditional pasture diets which provide the main cattle food in several developing countries, and also on effect of changes in diets on archaeal communities in the rumen ecosystem. To understand bacterial and archaeal diversity associated with different pasture diets, I amplified bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA genes from rumen samples using a universal FAM labeled forward primer and a non-labeled reverse primer, and then these products were digested with different tetrameric restriction enzymes. T-RFLP profiles obtained from Hha I and Rsa I digested fragments from open canopy (OC) and wooded canopy (WC) pasture diets suggested that bacterial and archaeal community structures were not significantly different in these pasture diets and that harvest time of these diets had no effect on bacterial and archaeal community structure. T-RFLP profiles obtained from Hha I, Rsa I, and Hae III digested fragments from naturalized pasture early cut (NPEC), naturalized pasture late cut (NPLC), teff, and triticale diets showed highest bacterial and archaeal diversities in triticale and nplc diets respectively. Diet pairs npec-teff and nplc-triticale shared more bacterial and archaeal community, and bacterial and archaeal communities associated with diet pairs npec-nplc, npec-triticale, nplc-teff, and teff-triticale were significantly different. This study will help in better understanding of the microbial diversity in cattle which in turn will help in optimal utilization of a wide variety of feeds

Experiencing and Learning from Entrepreneurial Failure

Entrepreneurship literature has long focused on stories of entrepreneurial success. However, in recent years consensus has begun to build around the importance of also studying failure in order to develop a more holistic understanding of entrepreneurship. It has been argued that failure can have an impact on entrepreneurial decision-making in subsequent ventures and can be a difficult experience for an entrepreneur to go through. In spite of such speculations and acknowledgements, failure remains a relatively underresearched area, except perhaps from the primary perspective of the reasons behind failure. While this is an important area of investigation − as understanding reasons behind failure can improve the probability of success in subsequent entrepreneurial endeavours – it is equally important to understand the experience of failure. The primary aim of this thesis is to understand failure from the perspective of entrepreneurs who have experienced it. Its second aim is to build a theoretical framework of failure based on those experiences. The overarching research question for this study is: “How do entrepreneurs experience venture failure and learn from this experience?” The three supporting subquestions are: “What do entrepreneurs experience when their venture fails?”, “How do entrepreneurs stay resilient when the venture fails?”, and “What do the entrepreneurs learn from experiencing venture failure?” Using the philosophical position of interpretive, phenomenological symbolic interactionism and narrative as a strategy of inquiry, stories of failure as told by 21 entrepreneurs during in-depth interviews are analysed. Using the metaphor of fabric tear and repair, theoretical constructs developed from the findings are integrated into a framework and discussed in the light of relevant literature. The framework highlights that failure leads to considerable challenges for the entrepreneurs and triggers grief. After grief, however, comes resilience. In this journey, resilience came from acceptance and hope, states that shifted the entrepreneurs’ perspective on venture failure from one which saw it as a negative, end-all event to one that framed it as a challenging, survivable event. This resilience fuelled their efforts to adapt to their changed reality. Grief faded as entrepreneurs dealt with the challenges. From this experience, the entrepreneurs learnt business lessons and transformed in such a way as to become more spiritually inclined. The study extends the understanding of the phenomenon of failure in entrepreneurship by presenting an empirical evidence-based framework that incorporates failure-related challenges, entrepreneurs’ adaptation to these challenges, and the lessons learnt from this experience. Second, this study illustrates the importance of hope and acceptance in building entrepreneurial resilience, and how entrepreneurs’ social environment and sometimes spiritual beliefs play an important role in nurturing hope and an acceptance of adapting to the challenges. Policy makers, educators, and entrepreneurs can benefit from the findings of this study as it highlights factors leading to failure, the repercussions of it. The study also shows how failure, although an undesirable experience, can be utilised as a springboard to bounce into a satisfying career by tapping into one’s spiritual beliefs, support networks, and resources within the social environment.

The effect of teaching style and academic motivation on student evaluation of teaching: Insights from social cognition

Student evaluation of teaching (SET) is ubiquitous in higher education as a metric for assessing teachers, gaining student feedback, and informing faculty personnel decisions. It is thus imperative to examine the dimensions along which a teacher is judged. This study tested the application of the universal dimensions of social judgment (i.e., warmth and competence) in SET. A total of 108 psychology undergraduates (Mage = 23.63, SDage = 3.14) in Singapore rated a fictitious teacher (i.e., either relationship-oriented or task-oriented) based on their interactions over a programmed online chat. Participants responded to the social judgment measures of warmth and competence and rated their academic motivation. Results indicated a higher SET rating for a relationship-oriented than a task-oriented teacher. Further, student academic motivation mediated the link between teaching style and judgment of competence. The findings extend the supremacy of warmth in the context of SET, thus supporting the application of social cognition literature to educational research. In addition, the findings suggest that fostering a match in task goals between a teacher and student improves ratings of teacher competence

Role of warmth and competence in the evaluation of teachers

This study investigated the effect of student performance (ESP) and nature of student feedback (NSF) on student evaluation of teaching (SET) using 150 students (n =38 males, n = 112 females). They were randomly assigned to a 2 (NSF: Anonymous versus Non-anonymous) X 3 (ESP: Pass versus No results versus Fail) between-subjects factorial experimental design (n=30). Participants evaluated a video of a teacher teaching; using the Teacher Judgement Scale (TJS). TJS was developed following universal social judgment dimensions of warmth and competence. The primary hypothesis was accepted as participants rated the teacher as more competent than warm, thereby supporting the supremacy of competence in the evaluative domain for teaching. These findings, with technology, would be integral to prolonging SET's usage

Factors associated with spontaneous abortion and to implement a home based post abortion care protocol from a prevention perspective in a rural part of Odisha, South-Eastern India: a hospital based cross-sectional study

Background: Spontaneous abortion (SA) is one of the most common unfavourable reproductive outcomes among women around the world, making maternal health promotion a major challenge. The aim of the current study was to identify the potential predictors associated with SA and recognized the need for providing home-based post-abortion care counselling to lower post abortion complications.Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted among the rural women ages of 18 and 45 years who had experienced at least one spontaneous miscarriage of less than 20 weeks of pregnancy. Participants were interviewed using a standardized questionnaire that included demographic, socioeconomic, and reproductive health information. Home based post abortion care protocol was introduced among the target populations for prevention of post abortion complications and maternal satisfaction was assessed after one week of implementation.Results: Of the 485 patients screened for eligibility, 24.12% had a history of at least one SA. The multivariate analysis revealed that occurrence of SA in our study is significantly associated with gravidity, multiparity, previous pregnancy complications, with a history of unfavourable fetal outcome and maternal comorbidities. Home based post abortion care protocol resulted higher maternal satisfaction and lower post abortion infection rate.Conclusions: The findings of our study reveals multiple modifiable factors may increase the risk of spontaneous abortion. One of the community participatory interventions in terms of providing home based post abortion care module resulted a significant impact on improving maternal satisfaction and lower post abortion infection rate among rural women

Blockchain and its Application

In this research investigation into Blockchain Technology, its current use and other pos-sible implementation of this protocol are explored. Blockchain offers opportunities for developing advanced digital services. While current research on this becoming the most important issue which must be well addressed. As part of the fourth industrial revolution since the invention of the steam engine, electricity, information technology, Blockchain Technology has been applied in many areas such as finance, judiciary, and commerce. In this current paper, we focused on its potential Voting Application and explore how Blockchain Technology can be used to solve Health Care Issues, Land Registry, Any Fi-nancial Sector, etc. Some innovative applications of using blockchain technology for different sectors we also discussed

Thermal shock behaviour on generalized thermoelastic semi-infinite medium with moving heat source under Green Naghdi-III model

The present article deals with the thermal shock response in an isotropic thermoelastic medium with a moving heat source. In this context Green and Naghdi type III model of generalized thermoelasticity theory is considered. The basic equations are expressed as vector-matrix differential equation form. The considered formulation is applied to a semi-infinite solid space. The analytical formulations of the problem in the Laplace transform domain have been solved by eigenvalue approach technique. The inversion of Laplace transform is completed by Zakian method. The variation of the temperature, displacement and stress distributions for different values of time and heat source velocity are shown graphically for two different cases. In the first case, a thermal shock free surface is considered subjected to traction and in the second case the surface is under the influence of time dependent thermal shock. Finally, some comparisons of the results for different time and moving heat source velocity are presented. In presence of moving heat source all the thermophysical quantities have a great significant effect in all the distributions

Tech-Savvy Hospitality: A Strategic Approach to Overcoming Labor Shortages

The hospitality industry faces an unprecedented labor shortage, prompting a surge in technological solutions. This reflection paper explores how innovations such as robotics, artificial intelligence, and digital applications are being deployed to bridge these staffing gaps. By analyzing the role of technology in areas like housekeeping, guest services, event, and culinary operations, implications for service quality and industry standards are also assessed. While technology offers potential alleviation for labor challenges, it\u27s crucial to consider its impact on the inherent human-centric nature of hospitality

TEMPERATURE DEPENDENT DEVELOPMENT RATES OF PARASITOID, HABROBRACON HEBETOR, DIRECTLY FED ON BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS VAR. KURSTAKI

The interaction of temperature and directly ingested Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), on the developmental rates of the parasitoid Habrobracon hebetor progeny was investigated using Corcyra cephalonica 4th instar larvae as host. Development rates increased with temperature rise. Regression analysis revealed highly significant (p <.01) good fit of the equation for incubation, larval and total lifecycle period, while significant (p <.05) for larval period in untreated diet fed H. hebetor, However, under the influence of Bt- honey diet, larval period (p >.05) was not a good fit of the equation. Although r- values were overall lower and regression showed no significant fit of the equation for larval periods, significantly higher development rate was observed towards higher temperatures. However, rates during pupal period and total lifecycle showed highly significant (p <.01) good fit of the equation. Significant interactions between Bt and temperature were observed during larval (F3,72= 45.443, p <.001) and pupal periods (F3,72= 3.932, p <.05), however, no such significant interaction occurred during incubation period (F3,72= 1.643, p= .187). Mean developmental rates during total life cycle also showed significant interaction between the factors, F3,72= 4.684, p <.01. Temperature was way more influential in all stages, as a factor (p < .001), than Bt. This study emphasizes the importance of temperature as an ecofactor during combined biological control. Interaction between higher temperatures and Bt, within the tolerance limit, may actually be beneficial through faster development during larval stage; although the same cannot be said of the other parameters of its life history

Organizing Violence

In stateless societies, coercion is privately provided; violence is employed to engage in, and to defend against, predation. At best, violence results in mere redistribution; being destructive, it more often results in a loss of social welfare. When organized, however, violence can be socially productive; it can be employed to defend property rights, thereby strengthening the incentives to engage in productive activity. To explore how violence can be rendered a source of welfare, the authors develop a model of a stateless society in which people's rights to the product of their labor are secure only if they possess coercive capabilities. Using case materials and formal logic, the authors then compare this outcome with that obtained when private agents reward specialists in violence for defending property rights. In doing so, we plumb the role of the state.African and African American StudiesGovernmen