Replicate Experiments Research Articles

Development and application of a multi-step porcine in vitro system to evaluate feedstuffs and feed additives for their efficacy in nutrient digestion, digesta characteristics, and intestinal immune responses

In vitro model provides alternatives to the use of live animals in research. In pig nutrition, there has been a tremendous increase in in vivo research over the decades. Proper utilization of in vitro models could provide a screening tool to reduce the needs of in vivo studies, research duration, cost, and the use of animals and feeds. This study aimed to develop a multi-step porcine in vitro system to simulate nutrient digestion and intestinal epithelial immune responses affected by feedstuffs and feed additives. Seven feedstuffs (corn, corn distillers dried grains with solubles [corn DDGS], barley, wheat, soybean meal, soy protein concentrates, and Corynebacterium glutamicum cell mass [CGCM]), feed enzymes (xylanase and phytase), and supplemental amino acids (arginine, methionine, and tryptophan), were used in this in vitro evaluation for their efficacy on digestibility, digesta characteristics, and intestinal health compared with the results from previously published in vivo studies. All in vitro evaluations were triplicated. Data were analyzed using Mixed procedure of SAS9.4. Evaluations included (1) nutrient digestibility of feedstuffs, (2) the effects of feed enzymes, xylanase and phytase, on digestibility of feedstuffs and specific substrates, and (3) the effects of amino acids, arginine, tryptophan, and methionine, on anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, and anti-heat stress statuses showing their effects (P < 0.05) on the measured items. Differences in dry matter and crude protein digestibility among the feedstuffs as well as effects of xylanase and phytase were detected (P < 0.05), including xylo-oligosaccharide profiles and phosphorus release from phytate. Supplementation of arginine, tryptophan, and methionine modulated (P < 0.05) cellular inflammatory and oxidative stress responses. The use of this in vitro model allowed the use of 3 experimental replications providing sufficient statistical power at P < 0.05. This indicates in vitro models can have increased precision and consistency compared with in vivo animal studies.

Supported decision-making interventions in mental healthcare: A systematic review of current evidence and implementation barriers.

There is a growing momentum around the world to foster greater opportunities for the involvement of mental health service users in their care and treatment planning. In-principle support for this aim is widespread across mental healthcare professionals. Yet, progress in mental health services towards this objective has lagged in practice. We conducted a systematic review of quantitative, qualitative and mixed-method research on interventions to improve opportunities for the involvement of mental healthcare service users in treatment planning, to understand the current research evidence and the barriers to implementation. Seven databases were searched and 5137 articles were screened. Articles were included if they reported on an intervention for adult service users, were published between 2008 and October 2023 and were in English. Evidence in the 140 included articles was synthesised according to the JBI guidance on Mixed Methods Systematic Reviews. Research in this field remains exploratory in nature, with a wide range of interventions investigated to date but little experimental replication. Overarching barriers to shared and supported decision-making in mental health treatment planning were (1) Organisational (resource limitations, culture barriers, risk management priorities and structure); (2) Process (lack of knowledge, time constraints, health-related concerns, problems completing and using plans); and (3) Relationship barriers (fear and distrust for both service users and clinicians). On the basis of the barriers identified, recommendations are made to enable the implementation of new policies and programs, the designing of new tools and for clinicians seeking to practice shared and supported decision-making in the healthcare they offer. This systematic review has been guided at all stages by a researcher with experience of mental health service use, who does not wish to be identified at this point in time. The findings may inform organisations, researchers and practitioners on implementing supported decision-making, for the greater involvement of people with mental ill health in their healthcare.

102 Estradiol and follicular growth are associated with estrous behavior monitored by an accelerometer in grazing beef cows

Abstract In beef cattle, 40% of cows that display estrus do not remain pregnant after embryo transfer (ET). Estrus is a physiological behavior influenced by the concentration of sex-steroids. The use of accelerometer devices for estrus detection is a common practice in dairy operations. It remains unclear if this same artificial intelligence software can accurately measure reproductive behavior in beef females. We hypothesized that estrous variables detected by an accelerometer are associated with ovarian, hormonal, pregnancy outcome, and fertility-related variables measured in the cow. Fifty Bos indicus-influenced, cyclic, primiparous cows were fitted with an accelerometer collar (SCR Engineers, Israel) and a breeding indicator (Estrotectâ) to detect estrus after a synchronization protocol in five subsequent experimental replicates (n = 50*5 = 250). Only cows that showed estrus (d 0) remained in the study. The following variables were used from the accelerometer software: Activity Peak, Rumination Nadir, Estrus Duration, and Heat Index, calculated by proprietary algorithms. Dominant follicle (DF) diameter and plasma concentration of estradiol were measured on d -2 (day of progesterone device removal) and on d 0. On d -1 and d 4, endometrial thickness and luminal fluid accumulation were measured by ultrasonography. On d 7, two embryos were transferred/cow. Pregnancies were diagnosed on d 45 and terminated. After 30 d, a new replicate started. Cows included in at least two replicates that remained pregnant 100%, 99-50%, or less than 50% were classified as fertile, sub fertile, and infertile, respectively. Estrus display was recorded for 166 cows (66%). Estrus detection by accelerometer and Estrotect had excellent agreement rate (kappa coefficient 0.76). Cows detected in estrus only by Estrotect had 66% less pregnancy/ET than cows in estrus by both (9/21 vs. 97/145; P = 0.01). The DF diameter on d 0 was not associated with accelerometer variables. Cows with greater and moderate Activity Peak had a greater growth rate of the DF from d -2 to d 0 than lower Activity Peak cows (interaction day*Activity Peak; P = 0.06). Estradiol on d -1 was positively associated with the Activity Peak (P &amp;lt; 0.0001). Cows with lower Activity Peak had a thicker endometrium on both d -1 and d 4 (P=0.02), and greater uterine luminal fluid score on d -1 (P=0.03). Fertility status was not associated with any accelerometer variables. In conclusion, the Activity Peak is associated positively with estradiol concentration and DF growth, however no association was found with pregnancy outcome and fertility. Therefore, the main advantage of accelerometers in beef ranches is the ability to detect estrus at a similar accuracy as breeding indicators, using less labor. Future enhancements in hardware and software to allow prediction of pregnancy outcomes are expected to increase reproductive efficiency in cow-calf operations.

Importance of the receiver's height for transmission studies in acoustic ecology.

In animal communication, the sound pressure level (SPL) of the acoustic signals has been studied in relation to various biological functions. Previous research reported that senders and receivers benefit from being at elevated positions. However, sometimes, researchers find contradictory results. Using a transmission experiment, we measured SPL of two acoustic stimuli: (i) white noise, and (ii) advertisement calls of the Iberian tree frog (Hyla molleri) at two different heights above ground level (0.05 and 0.75 m) and from six distances (1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 m) from a loudspeaker. Calls of the Iberian tree frog have two spectral peaks centred at the frequencies of ca. 1 and 2 kHz. As expected, SPL decreased with distance, but following a distinct attenuation pattern across height above the ground and frequency. Our findings show that the ground effect may critically alter frequency attenuation and, therefore, signal composition and discrimination at the listener's location, even at low heights above the ground. We suggest that recording devices should be positioned at the same height that natural listeners are usually located in nature, to facilitate the replication and comparison of experiments in the field of acoustic ecology and, also, bioacoustics.

Traffic Fingerprints for Homogeneous IoT Traffic Based on Packet Payload Transition Patterns

Traffic fingerprint was considered an effective security protection mechanism in IoT scenarios because it can be used to automatically identify accessed devices. However, the results of replication experiments show that the classic traffic fingerprints based on simple network traffic attribute features have a significantly lower ability to identify accessed devices in real 5G IoT scenarios compared to what was stated in traditional IoT scenarios. The growing homogenization of IoT traffic caused by the application of 5G is believed to be the reason for the poor ability of traditional traffic fingerprints to identify 5G IoT terminals. Studying an enhanced traffic fingerprint is necessary to accommodate the homogeneous Internet of Things traffic. In addition, during the reproducing experiments, we noticed that the solution of overlap is a key factor that restricts the recognition ability of one-vs-all multi-classifiers, and the efficiency of existing methods still has some room for optimization. Based on targeted improvements to these two issues, we proposed an enhanced IoT terminal traffic fingerprint based on packet payload transition patterns to improve the device recognition ability in homogeneous IoT traffic. Additionally, we designed an improved solution for overlap based on density centers to expedite decision making. According to the experimental results, when compared with the existing traffic fingerprint, the proposed traffic fingerprint in this study demonstrated a Macro-Average Precision of close to 90% for network traffic from real 5G IoT terminals. The proposed overlap solution based on the density centers reduced the decision-making time from hundreds of seconds to tens of seconds while ensuring decision-making accuracy.

Convergent evolution of parrot plumage coloration.

Parrots have remarkable plumage coloration that result in part from a unique ability to produce pigments called psittacofulvins that yield yellow to red feather colors. Little is known about the evolution of psittacofulvin-based pigmentation. Widespread color mutations of captive-bred parrots provide perfect opportunities to study the genetic basis of this trait. An earlier study on blue budgerigars, which do not possess psittacofulvins, reveals the involvement of an uncharacterized polyketide synthase (MuPKS) in yellow psittacofulvin synthesis. The blue phenotype had repeatedly appeared in different parrot species, similar to independent experimental replications allowing the study of convergent evolution and molecular mechanism of psittacofulvin-based pigmentation. Here, we investigated the genetic basis of the blue phenotypes in two species of Agapornis parrots, Fischer's lovebird (A. fischeri) and Yellow-collared lovebird (A. personatus). Using whole-genome data, we identified a single genomic region with size <2 Mb to be strongly associated with the color difference between blue and wild-type (WT) birds in both species. Surprisingly, we discovered that the mutation associated with the blue Agapornis phenotype was identical to the previously described substitution causing the functional change of MuPKS in budgerigars. Together with the evidence of shared blue-associated haplotypes and signatures of a selective sweep in this genomic region in both species, we demonstrated both de novo mutation and interspecific introgression play a role in the evolution of this trait in different Agapornis species. The convergent substitution in the same gene in both lovebirds and budgerigars also indicates a strong evolutionary constraint on psittacofulvin-based coloration.

PRD: An integrated database solution for medicinal and aromatic plant research in pharmaceuticals and toxicology

Research in medicinal and aromatic science laboratories often involves isolation, identification, and characterization of bioactive compounds from natural sources, particularly those with potential applications in medicine and healthcare. A wide range of analytical techniques, including chromatography, spectroscopy, in vitro – in vivo bioassays, and also toxicity tests to investigate the chemical and biological properties with the safeties of these compounds, and to understand how they interact with biological systems at the molecular level.However, many different species, and different test results creates a great challenge to keep track of results even within one research laboratory.In this study, we introduce a practical offline database and software program for recording medicinal and aromatic science experimental results in laboratories. The program uses a familiar input file, (Microsoft Excel), so users do not need to learn a new software. By implementing a standardized data recording system and evidence file for each plant, even if the same plant has different synonyms, different parts, and originates from different regions, all data can be collected and accessed through a single platform. This system allows for the integration of experimental results, including chromatograms, spectra, images, etc., and facilitates data management and analysis.The presented database provides a significant advantage by allowing immediate access to pertinent information regarding laboratory experimental results during collaborative efforts with diverse research groups and departments. It’s always-on data archiving features will prevent any experiment replications and also eliminates the potential loss of time during the data evaluation process.

Generating optimal designs with user‐specified pure replication structure

AbstractOver recent decades, optimal experimental design has surged in popularity due to affordable computing and efficient algorithms. However, some researchers highlight that this focus has often side‐lined the importance of including pure experimental replication in designs, as many optimality criteria do not inherently suggest designs with replicates. In this study, we introduce an approach that allows the designer to input a desired replication structure into the optimal design search. We list all potential replication structures, indicate the corresponding budget for pure‐error (PE) and lack‐of‐fit (LOF) degrees‐of‐freedom, and use particle swarm optimization to search for the optimal design in each scenario. We demonstrate our approach on various unexplored ‐optimal design scenarios and several scenarios recently discussed in literature. Our findings reveal the existence of highly‐efficient ‐optimal designs with unique replication structures, offering designers informed choices on allocating a limited budget for PE and LOF degrees‐of‐freedom. This method is versatile and compatible with other optimizers, such as the coordinate exchange.

Chronobiological approach to study microsymbiont catalase activity in female reproductive tract

Catalase is a heme-containing enzyme belonging to protection factors that destroys peroxide compounds. The presence of catalase activity is an important ability of microorganisms that allows them to be protected from unfavorable factors as well as adapt to macroorganism conditions. Catalase along with superoxide dismutase plays an important role in pathogen resistance to phagocyte oxygen-dependent bactericidal mechanisms. The aim of the study was to investigate microsymbiont catalase activity from female reproductive tract in normocenosis and candidiasis dysbiosis using the chronobiological approach. The study was conducted on clinical isolates, isolated from female reproductive tract microsymbiocenosis. The catalase activity was determined by spectrophotometry based on 24 hour-long hydrogen peroxide reduction with 3-hours interval in winter season. Dynamic hydrogen peroxide was assessed in 3–5 experiment replicates. In some Lactobacillus spp., catalase was found containing no heme group — pseudocatalase. Chronobiological approach allowed to reveal enzyme activity from all microsymbionts. The dominant and associative microbiota isolated from healthy females was characterized by circadian (24 hours) rhythms of catalase activity early in the morning — 5 a.m. (р 0.05). Hydrogen peroxide decomposes spontaneously or via non-enzymatic catalysts, and microorganisms cope with this situation under such conditions. In microsymbionts characteristic of female reproductive tract dysbiosis, and usually found in large numbers along with decreased Lactobacillus spp. ultradian rhythms with 12- and 8-hour harmonics of catalase activity with acrophase were recorded in the morning (8 a.m.) and evening hours (8 p.m.). The minimum values of enzyme production in all cultures were recorded at 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. Therefore, the contribution of the rhythm of the studied parameter at varying degree of vaginal sterility reflects the adaptive pathogen capabilities to the conditions of existence and can be the basis for studying related regulatory mechanisms. Mesor and amplitude phase stability are universal rhythmometric parameters used to evaluate patient’s condition independent of species assignment.

Bacterially enhanced plant-growing media for controlled environment agriculture.

Microbe-plant interactions in the root zone not only shape crop performance in soil but also in hydroponic cultivation systems. The biological and physicochemical properties of the plant-growing medium determine the root-associated microbial community and influence bacterial inoculation effectiveness, which affects plant growth. This study investigated the combined impact of plant-growing media composition and bacterial community inoculation on the root-associated bacterial community of hydroponically grown lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.). Ten plant-growing media were composed of varying raw materials, including black peat, white peat, coir pith, wood fibre, composted bark, green waste compost, perlite and sand. In addition, five different bacterial community inocula (BCI S1-5) were collected from the roots of lettuce obtained at different farms. After inoculation and cultivation inside a vertical farm, lettuce root-associated bacterial community structures, diversity and compositions were determined by evaluating 16S rRNA gene sequences. The study revealed distinct bacterial community structures among experimental replicates, highlighting the influence of raw material variations on root-associated bacterial communities, even at the batch level. However, bacterial community inoculation allowed modulation of the root-associated bacterial communities independently from the plant-growing medium composition. Bacterial diversity was identified as a key determinant of plant growth performance with green waste compost introducing Bacilli and Actinobacteria, and bacterial community inoculum S3 introducing Pseudomonas, which positively correlated with plant growth. These findings challenge the prevailing notion of hydroponic cultivation systems as sterile environments and highlight the significance of proper plant-growing media raw material selection and bacterial community inoculation in shaping root-associated microbiomes that provide stability through microbial diversity. This study supports the concept of creating bacterially enhanced plant-growing media to promote plant growth in controlled environment agriculture.

Confronting misinformation related to health and the environment: a systematic review

Confronting misinformation related to health and the environment comprises one of the major global concerns. Therefore, this systematic literature review, aims to identify the most used strategies to confront misinformation related to health, and the environment. The relevance of the interventions was assessed considering the frequency with which they are used and reported as effective. Five widely used databases were searched between 2010 and 2021 (Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, Science Direct, IEEE Xplore). A total of 14.285 records were initially retrieved. Then, after applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 32 peer-reviewed papers were included and analyzed in depth through this review. The results indicate that interventions based on credible information (debunking) were the most used among the included studies, followed by exposure and correction (debunking), inoculation, information, and media literacy (prebunking), and deliberation prompts (nudging). Most {interventions had }an effect size between small and medium, but most effects are limited to a specific myth/belief. We also found that most studies are conducted in the U.S. Therefore, experimental replication with same and different beliefs as outcomes and interventions cross-cultural adaptation to other countries are recommended.

A Practice to Enhance Soil Physico-Chemical Properties and Viable Microbial Count as Effected by Organic Nutrient Sources in Iris under Mid Hill Zone of Himachal Pradesh, India

The current study was conducted at Experimental Farm of Department of Floriculture and Landscape Architecture, Dr. YS Parmar UHF, Nauni, Solan, H.P. during the year 2019-2020 to determine the ideal Jeevamrit dosage for enhancing the physico-chemical and microbiological characteristics of soil for irisAt intervals of 15 days, sixteen applications of jeevamrit were applied as a foliar spray and drench. Three replications of the field experiment were set up using Randomized Block Design (RBD). The study showed that treatment T16, which involved both 7.5% Jeevamrit drenching and 15.0% Jeevamrit foliar application, had the most positive impact on soil quality. This treatment resulted in the highest organic carbon level (1.48), nitrogen content (362.59 kg/ha), phosphorus content (137.48 kg/ha), potassium content (267.85 kg/ha), and a high count of viable bacteria (75.63 ×106 cfu/g soil), viable fungi count (28.57 ×104 cfu/g soil), and viable actinomycetes count (45.90 ×103 cfu/g soil). Additionally, this treatment had the lowest pH and EC levels.

The consumption of experiential gifts is construed as more autonomy supportive and leads to greater gratitude, especially when they are given out of love.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the indirect influence of recalling the consumption of types of gifts, experiential and material, on gratitude by increasing autonomy support. In addition, we tested the conditional influence of the presumed motives of gift-givers from the perspective of gift recipients based on the postulates of Self-Determination Theory. First, participants were randomly to assigned to one of the following conditions: Consumption-of-experiential gift or consumption-of-material gift conditions. After, participants filled out a battery of questionnaires assessing autonomy support and gratitude. Results showed that the consumption of experiential gifts was construed as more autonomy supportive than the consumption of their material counterparts, which then had a positive relationship with gratitude. In experiment two, we tested the proposed mediator, autonomy support, by asking participants to either recall the consumption of the gift that was consistent with their true values or the consumption of an ordinary gift and completed a set of questions assessing autonomy support and gratitude. Results showed that recalling a gift consistent with consumers' true values led to higher levels of autonomy support than recalling an ordinary gift, which was then positively correlated with gratitude. In the third experiment, we conducted a conceptual replication of experiment one and added the examination of the presumed motives of gift-givers as a potential moderator. Results replicated the significant mediation effect found in study 1 and showed that the conditional indirect effect was stronger when gift recipients attributed integrated motives to the gift-givers. The findings were discussed.

TEACHING SENTENCE READING AND RETELLING AND ANSWERING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS IN A CHILD WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently show difficulties in the acquisition of multiple repertoires, including verbal behavior. One type of verbal operant behavior is the intraverbal. It involves the emission of a verbal response under the control of a verbal discriminative stimulus, without point-to-point correspondence between them, and the response is maintained by a generalized conditioned reinforcer. This study focused on narrative retelling, which is a skill that comprises intraverbal chains. It is also discussed in the literature that the teaching of this repertoire may improve gains in text comprehension, which also involves the emission of intraverbals, that is, answering questions. Regarding this skill, previous research investigated procedures that may produce the emergence of answering comprehension questions referred as complex ABC intraverbals (related to the stimulus equivalence paradigm) in typically developing children. In general, they were exposed to cycles in which they first read short texts/sentences relating information on three different stimuli (A, B, and C), Thereafter, the children answered several questions representing all possible complex intraverbal relations among the three stimuli from the sentences. Some learners demonstrated the emergence of all complex relations, and further investigations were carried out with the teaching of simpler intraverbal relations of the type of exemplars and categories before the cycles of reading sentences – probing complex ABC intraverbals. Data indicated that more learners showed the emergence of all, or nearly all, complex relations. The present study comprised two systematic replication experiments, with the inclusion of a child with ASD as participant. Both also involved the teaching of sentence reading and retelling through script fading, to analyze the effects of narrative production on the possible emergence of complex intraverbals. In Experiment 1, cycles of teaching sentence reading and retelling – probing ABC intraverbals were administered. As a result, all possible complex relations emerged. Experiment 2 involved the teaching of simpler intraverbal relations of the type of exemplars and categories before the cycles of teaching sentence reading and retelling – probing ABC intraverbals. All possible complex intraverbal relations also emerged. Data were discussed in the sense that, although positive, it is not clear whether the teaching of sentence retelling and simpler intraverbal relations facilitated the establishment of the complex intraverbals. It is possible that reading the sentences was sufficient. The limitations of the research were presented and discussed, as well as recommendations for future investigations that may more clearly isolate the effects of each manipulated independent variable. Anyway, the current study extended previous investigations by showing that complex intraverbal relations of the ABC type may also be established in a learner diagnosed with ASD.&lt;p&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt; Article visualizations:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;img src="/-counters-/soc/0019/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

The Medusa effect: a registered replication report of Will, Merritt, Jenkins and Kingstone (2021).

Will et al.'s (2021 Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 118, e2106640118 (doi:10.1073/pnas.2106640118)) found the Medusa effect, which refers to the tendency that people evaluate a 'person in picture' more mindful than a 'person in picture of a picture'. The present study tried to directly replicate the Experiments 2 and 5 of Will et al.'s (2021), to examine the reliability, validity and generalization of the Medusa effect, as well as its effect on prosocial behaviour. We used the same stimuli and methodology as the original research, but recruited participants in Japan with a larger sample size (N = 1387 in total) as a registered report. In our two replication experiments, we again found that pictures with lower levels of abstraction (L1) were perceived to convey more mind and lead to higher levels of prosocial behaviour, successfully replicating the original findings. The results of the present study suggested the high reproducibility and generalizability of the Medusa effect. Pre-registered Stage 1 protocol: https://osf.io/xj46z (date of in-principle acceptance: 9 February 2023).

Molecular and mineral responses of corals grown under artificial Calcite Sea conditions.

The formation of skeletal structures composed of different calcium carbonate polymorphs (e.g. aragonite and calcite) appears to be both biologically and environmentally regulated. Among environmental factors influencing aragonite and calcite precipitation, changes in seawater conditions-primarily in the molar ratio of magnesium and calcium during so-called 'Calcite' (mMg:mCa below 2) or 'Aragonite' seas (mMg:mCa above 2)-have had profound impacts on the distribution and performance of marine calcifiers throughout Earth's history. Nonetheless, the fossil record shows that some species appear to have counteracted such changes and kept their skeleton polymorph unaltered. Here, the aragonitic octocoral Heliopora coerulea and the aragonitic scleractinian Montipora digitata were exposed to Calcite Sea-like mMg:mCa with various levels of magnesium and calcium concentration, and changes in both the mineralogy (i.e. CaCO3 polymorph) and gene expression were monitored. Both species maintained aragonite deposition at lower mMg:mCa ratios, while concurrent calcite presence was only detected in M. digitata. Despite a strong variability between independent experimental replicates for both species, the expression for a set of putative calcification-related genes, including known components of the M. digitata skeleton organic matrix (SkOM), was found to consistently change at lower mMg:mCa. These results support the previously proposed involvements of the SkOM in counteracting decreases in seawater mMg:mCa. Although no consistent expression changes in calcium and magnesium transporters were observed, down-regulation calcium channels in H. coerulea in one experimental replicate and at an mMg:mCa of 2.5, pointing to a possible active calcium uptake regulation by the corals under altered mMg:mCa.

Use of tannase-producing bacteria isolated from the rumen to improve the nutritional value of pomegranate peel for fattening lambs.

The use of plants and by-products, which are containing a high amount of secondary and anti-nutritional compounds such as tannins, in animal feed is limited. The methods that can reduce these compounds make facilitate their use in animal feed. The aim of this study was to reduce the adverse effects of pomegranate peel (PP) tannin for fattening lambs using the tannase-producing bacteria. Twenty-one Arabi male lambs (averagely 35±3.8kg weight and 8±1.0 months age) were used in a completely randomized design with three treatments and seven replications in the present experiment. The experimental treatments included 1 - control diet (CNT, no PP), 2 - diet containing untreated PP (raw PP, UTPP) and 3 - diet containing PP treated with tannase-producing bacteria (bacteria treating PP, BTPP). Using UTPP decreased nutrient intake compared to the control and treatment with tannase-producing bacteria again significantly increased nutrient intake compared to the UTPP (p<0.05). The digestibilities of organic matter, neutral detergent fibre and acid detergent fibre in the control treatment were significantly higher than UTPP and BTPP and in the BTPP were significantly higher than the UTPP (p<0.05). The use of UTPP in the diet significantly decreased the pH, ammonia nitrogen concentration and the total protozoa population of the rumen compared to the control (p<0.05), and treatment with bacteria increased them again. The lowest total protozoa population was observed in UTPP treatments (p<0.05). The highest concentration of blood glucose was observed in UTPP; however, the highest concentrations of blood urea nitrogen, cholesterol, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein (non-significant) and low-density lipoprotein were in the control treatment. The effect of experimental treatments on the dry matter consumption of the whole period was significant; however, there was no significant effect on average daily gain, feed conversion ratio, feed efficiency and longissimus muscle colorimetric systems. Therefore, considering the positive effects of treatment PP with tannin-degrading bacteria relative to raw PP, using these bacteria is a proper way to reduce tannin, thus improving the nutritional value of PP for ruminants.

Microbial Transfer by Intermittent Catheters: An In Vitro Evaluation of Microbial Transfer in Catheter With Variable Protective Features.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of various protective features (eg, catheter cap, introducer tip, and catheter sleeve) of hydrophilic intermittent catheters against contamination with urinary tract infection-associated microorganisms using an in vitro model. An in vitro study of microbial transfer. Gloves were contaminated with uropathogenic microorganisms and used to simulate intermittent catheterization of male anatomical models with and without the protective features present in 5 commercially available hydrophilic catheters. Using this contaminated touch transfer method, both the meatus of the sterile male anatomical models and sterile surgical gloves of an operator were inoculated with a high level of microorganisms (107 and 109 colony-forming units [CFU], respectively). The operator then performed catheterization of the anatomical model. The most relevant segments of the catheter were sampled, and the level of microbial transfer and catheter contamination was quantified. Results from experimental and sample replicates from the 3 microbial species and 5 catheters (sleeved and unsleeved) were analyzed by pair-wise t tests and analysis of variance. Of the 5 commercially available sleeved intermittent catheters evaluated in this study, use of catheters with multiple protective components (ring cap, introducer tip, and catheter sleeve) resulted in significant improvement in protection against contamination with a 25- to 2500-fold lower level of microbial contamination (C1 segment) across all species as compared to catheters protected with only sleeves or un-sleeved catheters. The combination of a ring cap, protective introducer tip, and protective sleeve provides additional protection when compared to sleeve alone from transferring microbial contamination from the meatus to the advancing catheter. Additional research is needed to determine whether these design features result in fewer urinary tract infections among intermittent catheter users.

“You liked that Instagram post?!” Adolescents’ jealousy and digital dating abuse behaviors in reaction to digital romantic relationship threats

Seeing a romantic partner interact digitally with someone can be threatening for adolescents, yet it remains unclear what characteristics of these interactions induce jealousy and digital dating abuse. In two preregistered experiments (Experiment 1: N = 717; Experiment 2: N = 140), we examined the impacts of adolescents' romantic partners hypothetically “liking” another individual's Instagram photo. Experiment 1 utilized a between-subjects design with middle adolescents (Mage = 13.73, SD = 1.54) and investigated the impact of gender similarity, familiarity, and popularity of an individual in an Instagram post on participants' reports of how upset and jealous they would feel and which behaviors linked to digital dating abuse they would engage in if their romantic partner “liked” the post. Results revealed adolescents' partner's “liking” a post from a different-gender person increased feeling upset and jealousy, and digital dating abuse behaviors. No effects were found for familiarity or popularity. Feeling upset and jealous mediated associations between different-gender Instagram photo-liking and digital dating abuse engagement. Experiment 2, a systematic replication of Experiment 1, utilized a within-subjects design with late adolescents (Mage = 20.40 years, SD = 3.98) to investigate the impact of gender similarity and attractiveness. We found jealousy and digital dating abuse behaviors were highest when the relationship threat was attractive. Findings from both experiments demonstrate how digital interactions trigger jealousy and abusive digital relationship behaviors in adolescents. As these interactions occur frequently in a fast-paced digital world, prevention should focus on how adolescents manage jealousy without resorting to digital dating abuse.

Phenotypic diversity and selection of superior tropical sweetcorn inbred lines by multivariate method and combining ability analysis

Sweetcorn is an important vegetable crop with high sugar content and economical value in US, Asia countries. Develop parental lines is core technology in hybrid sweetcorn breeding. This study applied the multivariate selection method to categorize and select elite tropical sweetcorn inbred lines for specialty corn breeding in Vietnam. Forty-two sweetcorn inbred lines was laid out in randomized complete block design with three replications in the field experiment from in Spring season 2021, Vietnam National University of Agriculture, Vietnam. Hierarchical clustering on principal component analysis was classified sweetcorn inbred lines into four major groups. Applied MGIDI index with 20 % selection intensity has identified two purple sweetcorn inbred lines, viz, N14, N41, a white sweetcorn inbred line N09, and five yellow sweetcorn inbred lines, viz, N05, N24, N25, N28, N39. General combining ability (GCA) analysis in Spring season 2022 showed that N39 have high positive GCA value on marketable yield and N28 have high positive GCA on total soluble solids.