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In 2023, an average of 2.5 local newspapers shut down each week. This year seems to be following a similar trend. With fewer professional journalists keeping watch over politicians and the process of voting—and an information landscape that is rife with falsehoods and propaganda—democracy is under threat. An evolving digital media landscape and the loss of trust in journalism has brought the industry to a reckoning point. In addition to charitable interest in supporting local news and legislation to protect the industry, journalists and key players are experimenting with different structures and business models. However, it's unclear which, if any, of these efforts will ultimately prove successful. But for journalism to continue standing as an essential pillar of democracy, one or more of these endeavors will need to emerge as viable—or at least lay the groundwork for other models that can succeed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since ChatGPT's release in November 2022, artificial intelligence has come into the spotlight. Inspiring both fascination and fear, chatbots have stirred debates among researchers, developers, and policy makers. The concerns range from concrete and tangible ones—which include replication of existing biases and discrimination at scale, harvesting personal data, and spreading misinformation—to more existential fears that their development will lead to machines with human-like cognitive abilities. Understanding how chatbots work and the human labor and data involved can better help evaluate the validity of concerns surrounding these systems, which although innovative, are hardly the stuff of science fiction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effects of dietary insoluble fiber sources on growth performance, gastrointestinal tract (GIT) traits, nutrient digestibility and intestinal enzyme activity were studied in broilers from 1 to 42 d of age. A total of 480 one-day)old chicks (Ross 308), were allocated in four treatments, six replicates and 20 birds in each, based on a completely randomized design. Dietary treatments were including a corn-soybean meal basal diet (control diet) and other three diets formulated by the inclusion of 30 g/kg of processed wheat straw (WS), sunflower hulls (SFH), or soybean hulls (SBH) in the control diet. From 1 to 10 d of age, broiler chickens fed processed WS tended to have higher feed intake than broilers fed the control diet (P = 0.064) and had higher body weight gain than broilers fed the other treatments (P < 0.05). The relative weight of the GIT organs was not affected by treatments but SFH and SBH decreased the length of the small intestine at 42 d of age (P < 0.05). The pH of different segments of the GIT, carcass traits, dry matter, nitrogen digestibility, and apparent metabolizable energy corrected by nitrogen were not affected by treatments. The activity of amylase and aminopeptidase in the duodenum and jejunum was not affected by the insoluble fiber sources. In conclusion, the dilution of the control diet with the inclusion of 30 g/kg insoluble fiber did not have any negative effect on broiler chickens' performance and marketing weight. Moreover, improved performance was observed with processed WS, particularly during the starter period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A feeding experiment was performed to determine the effect of limestone particle size on apparent (AIDC) and true (TIDC) ileal digestibility coefficients of calcium (Ca) in broilers and pullets. With this motivation, four dietary treatments were developed based on a 2×2 factorial arrangement, that included two limestone particle sizes (fine vs. coarse) and two bird types (broilers vs. pullets). Each treatment was replicated six times (eight birds/replicate). Two corn-based diets containing limestone with either fine (<0.5 mm) or coarse (1-2 mm) particles as the sole Ca source were developed and fed to broilers and pullets from 16 to 20 days of age. A Ca-unsupplemented diet was used to determine the ileal endogenous Ca losses. Titanium dioxide was incorporated in all diets as an indigestible marker. Digesta were collected on day 20 from all birds per pen. The AIDC of Ca was determined by marker and the TIDC values were determined by correcting for endogenous Ca losses. Endogenous Ca losses were obtained to be 420 and 696 mg/kg of dry matter intake for broilers and pullets, respectively. Broilers consumed more feed (P=0.001) and had higher body weight gain (P<0.05) than the pullets. Broilers had higher AIDC and TIDC of Ca than pullets (P<0.001). Coarse limestone particles increased the AIDC and TIDC of Ca regardless of bird type. Feeding coarse limestone increased the Ca concentration in the gizzard content of broilers but not in pullets, resulting in a significant (P<0.05) interaction between limestone particle size and bird type. Regardless of bird type, increasing limestone particle size enhanced AIDC and TIDC of Ca in limestone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of dietary zinc (Zn) source and level of supplementation on performance, egg quality, blood parameters, and egg yolk Zn content in laying hens from 28 to 36 weeks of age. Two hundred laying hens (Hy-Line W-36) were weighed individually and placed randomly in cages with five treatments, five replicates of 8 birds in each using a 2×2+1 factorial arrangement. Treatments consisted of a control diet (cornsoybean meal as a basal diet without Zn supplementation) and the diet supplemented with 80 and 120 mg of Zn/kg, added as either Zinc-sulfate (ZnSulf) or Zn-methionine (ZnMet), respectively. Treatments did not impact on the laying hen performance. Eggshell thickness was improved (P<0.001) by ZnMet in comparison to ZnSulf. Eggshell thickness improved by increasing Zn from 80 to 120 mg/kg of the diet (P<0.05). Plasma HDL (P<0.001), alkaline phosphatase activity (P<0.05), total protein, and albumin concentrations (P<0.001) increased by ZnMet in comparison to ZnSulf supplementation. Plasma Fe, Cu, Zn, and P, and Zn contents of the egg yolk were not affected by Zn sources or levels. Plasma Ca was higher in hens receiving 120 mg/kg ZnMet/kg than other treatments (P<0.01). In conclusion, more positive effects on eggshell quality and some blood parameters were found by dietary ZnMet supplementation at 80 or 120 mg/kg diet than ZnSulf in laying hens under the conditions of this study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]