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Supplemental material, sj-docx-1-jix-10.1177_10925872221132807 for Do Zoo Visitors Attend to Interpretive Elements in Interactive Animal Exhibit Spaces? A Case Study From ZooTampa’s Lorikeet Landing Aviary by Jessica Allen, Brian Ogle and Kerry Gray in Journal of Interpretation Research

Se bioavailability in commercial pet foods has been shown to be highly variable. The aim of the present study was to identify dietary factors associated with in vitro accessibility of Se (Se Aiv) in pet foods. Se Aiv is defined as the percentage of Se from the diet that is potentially available for absorption after in vitro digestion. Sixty-two diets (dog, n 52; cat, n 10) were in vitro enzymatically digested: fifty-four of them were commercially available (kibble, n 20; pellet, n 8; canned, n 17; raw meat, n 6; steamed meat, n 3) and eight were unprocessed (kibble, n 4; canned, n 4) from the same batch as the corresponding processed diets. The present investigation examined if Se Aiv was affected by diet type, dietary protein, methionine, cysteine, lysine and Se content, DM, organic matter and crude protein (CP) digestibility. Se Aiv differed significantly among diet types (Piv than pelleted and raw meat diets. Se Aiv correlated positively with CP digestibility in extruded diets (kibbles, n 19; r 0·540, P =0·017) and negatively in canned diets (n 16; r − 0·611, P =0·012). Moreover, the canning process (n 4) decreased Se Aiv (P =0·001), whereas extrusion (n 4) revealed no effect on Se Aiv (P =0·297). These differences in Se Aiv between diet types warrant quantification of diet type effects on in vivo Se bioavailability.

The purpose of this study was to compare middle and high school teachers' perceptions of the discipline methods used in public schools in Jackson, Mississippi. Specifically, this study examined teachers' perceptions of their schools' climate, discipline issues, and the preventive measures used to combat discipline issues. Out of a target population of 430, only 239 teachers participated. The survey consisted of 4 parts. Part I was designed to collect demographic data and to determine participation in violence prevention programs. Part II was designed to collect data related to school climate. Part III was designed to collect data related to discipline issues that existed, and Part IV was designed to collect data related to discipline preventive measures. The research design was descriptive and comparative. Descriptive statistics and a Mann Whitney U were the statistical tests utilized to analyze the data and answer the research questions. After the data were collected and analyzed, the researcher determined that there were significant differences in middle and high school teachers' perceptions of their school's climate impact on their ability to implement effective discipline strategies. The respondents indicated that some of their students participated in violence prevention programs (29% middle and 27% high), and approximately half (42% middle and 53% high) of the teachers participated in violence prevention programs. High school teachers' responses revealed that student tardies, students cutting classes, theft, vandalism, student alcohol/drug use, possession of weapons, verbal/physical abuse of teachers by students, and gangs were discipline issues that had an impact on their ability to implement effective discipline strategies; whereas middle school teachers indicated that these items had less of an impact on their ability to implement effective discipline strategies. Conclusions based on the findings in this study indicated that approximately half of high school teachers (58%) and even fewer middle school teachers (42%) participated in school-based programs aimed at curtailing school violence. Since teachers are the single most important factor in creating a well managed classroom, it is the responsibility of the school principal to ensure that teachers are active participants in school-based efforts that are both proactive and preventive in nature.

Selenium is an essential trace mineral involved in many biological processes, such as anti-oxidant, thyroid and immune function. Current recommendations for selenium inclusion in dog foods lack knowledge on the requirements of adult dogs and the effect of various factors on its bioavailability (i.e. the fraction of the dietary selenium that reaches the systemic circulation) and bioactivity (i.e. the selenium that is incorporated into selenoproteins). Therefore, the objective of this PhD project was to identify factors that contribute to the biological utilisation of dietary selenium, as a first step towards correct selenium inclusion levels in dog foods to prevent long-term selenium related diseases. An in vitro study, assessing various factors of 62 pet foods, identified diet type and crude protein digestibility as most important factors to affect selenium accessibility (i.e. the amount of dietary selenium that is potentially available for absorption after in vitro digestion). A consequent in vivo study evaluated the effect of these factors on selenium bioavailability and -activity. Twenty-four dogs, four canned and four kibble diets with a range in crude protein concentration were used in a randomised cross-over study. Selenium bioavailability was higher from kibble than canned diets and was not affected by crude protein intake in both diet types. The biological activity of selenium, as measured by whole blood glutathione peroxidase activity, was higher in dogs fed the canned diets than in dogs fed the kibble diets and decreased with increasing crude protein intake. These results suggest that there were indeed differences in the bioavailability and -activity of selenium from canned and kibble diets, which can be caused either by the difference in ingredients used, by the selenium species or by the processing conditions. Another in vivo study with 24 dogs assessed selected biomarkers on their suitability to detect a decrease in dietary selenium in adult dogs within eight weeks. All dogs received a semi-purified diet with an adequate amount of selenium for eight weeks. After this, 12 of the dogs remained on this diet for another eight weeks and the other 12 dogs received a semi-purified diet with a low selenium concentration (6.5 µg/MJ; 31% of the FEDIAF minimum). Of the biomarkers measured, urinary selenium:creatinine ratio, serum selenium and serum glutathione peroxidase activity reacted most quickly and should be used in epidemiological trials, to determine their association with the occurrence of long-term selenium related diseases and could eventually be used in trials to determine the minimum selenium requirements of healthy adult dogs. In conclusion, the studies included in this PhD thesis showed that diet type was associated with selenium bioavailability and diet type and dietary crude protein concentration with selenium bioavailability and -activity. Selenium is generally more bioavailable from kibble diets, but selenium from canned diets results in an absolute higher bioactivity. Future studies may use the urinary selenium:creatinine ratio, serum selenium and serum glutathione peroxidase activity to assess the selenium requirements of healthy adult dogs.