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Noise-induced hearing loss is a major public health challenge for agricultural communities. However, there is limited hearing conservation research addressing the issue, especially for youth and young adults. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and practices of Indiana undergraduate students who lived or worked on a farm. The students were asked to rank the most common and current hearing conservation educational approaches, including in-person classroom presentation, mailers, and technologybased approaches, i.e., computer-based training, interactive websites, static websites, and smartphone noise-measuring applications (apps). A total of 91 undergraduate students enrolled in agriculture classes at four Indiana higher educational institutions participated in the study. They completed a sociodemographic and farm activity survey, followed by a 30- minute in-person presentation on hearing health conservation. After the presentation, each participant completed a questionnaire that included items about their perceptions of the feasibility, sustainability, rankings, and preferences of the various educational approaches discussed in the presentation. Participants ranked the noise-measuring app and in-person classroom presentation as their most preferred educational approaches for hearing conservation (39% and 28%, respectively). They identified multiple features of these two intervention approaches as beneficial. Sixty-four percent of participants indicated that a combination of approaches could influence hearing protection use and should include in-person classroom presentation and one of the technology-based approaches (noise-measuring apps, 37.3%). These findings are expected to assist health interventionists and program designers in developing future hearing protection education programs for farm youth, who may otherwise lack access to resources for preventing premature hearing loss due to loud noise exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Keywords: Nile tilapia; Fish meal; Soybean meal; Growth performance; Floating net cages EN Nile tilapia Fish meal Soybean meal Growth performance Floating net cages INTRODUCTION Tilapias are the second most popular cultured fishes in the world after carps (Zhou et al., 2015) China, Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand are the major producing countries (FAO, 2009). The best FCR value (2.21 ± 0.12) was observed in the diet T1 without soybean meal inclusion followed by T2, 25% soybean meal (2.34 ± 0.3) and T3, 50% soybean meal (2.55 ± 0.3). The growth performance of Nile tilapia fed on control (fishmeal diet) and different levels of fishmeal replacement by soybean meal. Weight gain (g) of Nile Tilapia offered four test diets, where fishmeal were replaced with soybean meal (SBM) (T1, 0%, T2, 25%, T3, 50%, T4, 75%) during the experimental period. [Extracted from the article]

The objective of present study was to investigate sequencing of four genes (AlphaS1-casein, alphaS2-casein, beta lactoglobulin and Major histocompatibility complex) that related to milk traits in Karadi sheep. A total of 300 ewes from three flocks were studied. The results revealed which are include effects of lamb's sex, dam's age and month of lambing were not significant on the milk traits except the ewes flock has significant effect on daily milk yield. The Best Linear Unbiased Prediction value for all ewes concerning daily milk yield, protein and fat percentages ranged from -10.5293 to 10.7504, -2.0546 to 2.0097% and -1.7033 to 1.4067%, respectively. The DNA sequencing results show that there are differences between ewes with high and low milk production in AlphaS1-casein, alphaS2-casein, beta lactoglobulin and Major histocompatibility complex loci sequences these differences reflected by milk performance of ewes in two groups, ewes in high group produced 300% more daily milk than ewes in low group (355.8 vs. 102.8 g/day). In conclusion results showed that there are agreements between Best Linear Unbiased Prediction value with DNA sequencing results in the select best animal and the selection process with molecular technique can play a major positive and rapid role to improvement and increasing milk production in this breed of sheep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study was carried out to investigate the effect of some factors on birth weight (BW), weaning weight (WW), marketing weight (MW), average daily gain (ADG), daily milk yield (DMY), total milk yield (TMY), protein and fat percentage. A 135 ewes from three flocks used, 114 of them were lambed. The mean ± SE of BW, WW, MW, ADG, DMY, TMY, protein percentage and fat percentage were 4.14 ± 0.65, 16.37 ± 2.87, 23.60 ± 4.42, 0.12 ± 0.02, 0.236 ± 0.10, 34.07 ± 5.94 kg, and 5.33 ± 0.62% and 5.30 ± 12.93%, respectively. All studied traits were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) affected by flock except BW, protein and fat percentages. Month of lambing had significant effects (P ≤ 0.05) on MW, ADG and Post daily gain. Stage of lactation had a significant effect (P ≤ 0.05) on daily milk yield and protein percentage. The lowest and highest BLUP values for BW, WW, MW, ADG, DMY, TMY, protein and fat percentages were -1.6411, 1.6889kg, -6.5307, 10.1293kg, -9.9775, 13.1725 kg, -10.5293, 10.7504 kg, -31.02, 7.38kg, -2.0546, 2.0097%, -1.703, 1.40% respectively. These results indicated that there are high genetic variations among animals for all above studied traits. It means that selection can play a big role in improving economical traits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, highly upgraded bio-oil was produced by microwave-metal interaction pyrolysis of water hyacinth biomass. A copper coil was used as a microwave receiver and heat generating antenna. The pyrolysis of biomass was carried out with and without using a cement catalyst. The fractional amounts of the as-produced bio-oil, biogas, and biochar were determined in terms of catalyst mass, reaction time, and the gauge of the copper coil antenna. In cement catalyzed pyrolysis, the water hyacinth was converted into 20% bio-oil and 31% combustible gases with overall conversion efficiency of 66%. In the case of uncatalyzed pyrolysis, the overall conversion efficiency remained below 60% with 10% bio-oil. The biomass to catalyst ratio of 5:1, 25 min of reaction time and 2.5 mm gauge of wire were predicted as optimum conditions for the pyrolysis process. The bio-oil was further analyzed through chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) while the gaseous products were analyzed through chemical testing and combustibility analysis. Significant difference in the chemical composition of the bio-oils, produced using catalytic and noncatalytic microwave-metal interaction pyrolysis, was noticed in these investigations. The oil product of the catalyzed and uncatalyzed pyrolysis contained 11.6% and 9.418% hydrocarbons, respectively. Similarly, oxygen content in the oil was measured about 14.73% and 16.66%, respectively. Also, unlike the thermal or thermo-catalytic pyrolysis, the bio-oil product of the microwave-metal interaction pyrolysis was found immiscible with water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In two consecutive seasons, forage rape (Brassica napus L.) plants were exposed to short periods (240°C hr) of heat stress (30°C day/25°C night) during seed filling (80% seed moisture content = S1), at physiological maturity (50% seed moisture content = S2) and at both S1 plus S2 (=S3) in a Biotron before being returned to the field until seed harvest. Seeds were hand harvested at 14% seed moisture content and their quality assessed by measuring germination, seed vigour (using the accelerated ageing and conductivity tests) and seed mass (as determined by thousand seed weight). Heat stress at both S1 and S2 caused a small (<10%) but significant reduction in germination in both seasons. There was a significant heat stress timing interaction in the first but not the second season. Reductions in germination were a result of increased abnormal seedling production not seed death. All three heat stress treatments significantly reduced seed vigour, with S3>S2>S1. Seed mass was reduced by heat stress at S1 but not at S2. Variable seed vigour in high‐germinating New Zealand‐produced forage rapeseed lots is most likely explained by short periods of heat stress during seed development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Isoproterenol, a catecholamine acting as a ß adrenergic agonist, is commonly used to establish myocardial infarction (MI) in animal models for drug development. Although cheaper than isoproterenol, salbutamol is another type of catecholamine, may be potentially and equally used for the onset of MI in animal model. However the concentrations of salbutamol for inducing MI need to be optimized and standardized. In current work, following the treatment with different concentrations of salbutamol, the blood samples of rats were taken at different time intervals according to "Central Composite Design" (CCD) for measuring the level of cardiac markers, CK-MB, LDH and SGOT. Response Surface Methodology (RSM) indicated an optimal salbutamol dosage of 80 mg/kg for inducing MI, which resulted in elevated level of SGOT after 20 hr with CK-MB and LDH level changes in 23 hr following salbutamol (80 mg/kg) administration. The level changes of cardiac marker Trop I and ECG also confirmed the onset of myocardial infarction at the optimal concentration of salbutamol. Current work obtained the optimal dose and the feasibility of salbutamol as a substituent of isoproterenol for inducing MI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Nine Plus screening battery test (9+) is a functional movement test intended to identify limitations in fundamental movement patterns predisposing athletes to injury. However, the interseason variability is unknown.Aim: To examine the variability of the 9+ test between 2 consecutive seasons in professional male football players.Methods: Asymptomatic Qatar Star League players (n=220) completed the 9+ at the beginning of the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Time-loss injuries in training and matches were obtained from the Aspetar Injury and Illness Surveillance Program. No intervention was initiated between test occasions.Results: A significant increase in the mean total score of 1.6 points (95% CI 1.0 to 2.2, p<0.001) was found from season 1 (22.2±4.1 (SD)) to season 2 (23.8±3.3). The variability was large, as shown by an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.24 (95% CI 0.11 to 0.36) and a minimal detectable change (MDC) of 8.7 points. Of the 220 players, 136 (61.8%) suffered a time-loss injury between the 2 tests. There was an improvement in mean total scores in the injured (+2.0±0.4 (SE), p<0.001) group but not in the uninjured group (+0.9±0.5, p=0.089). The variability from season 1 to season 2 was large both in the injured (ICC 0.25, 0.09 to 0.40, MDC 8.3) and uninjured (ICC 0.24, 0.02 to 0.43, MDC 9.1) groups.Conclusions: The 9+ demonstrated substantial intraindividual variability in the total score between 2 consecutive seasons, irrespective of injury. A change above 8 points is necessary to represent a real change in the 9+ test between seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]