bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Feed intake, growth rate and some anatomical characteristics of broilers fed commercial diets supplemented with green feeds
Authors: Etela I. , Kalio G.A. , Monsi A. , Ezieshi E.V. 
Published: December 2007

AbstractA study was conducted on the Teaching and Research Farm of the Rivers State University of Science and Technology, Nigeria to evaluate the nutritional suitability of four treatments, namely a commercial type broiler diet as compared with the commercial diet supplemented with either fresh centrosema (Centrosema molle), pueraria (Pueraria phaseoloides), or waterleaf (Talinium triangulare) leaves. These diets were fed to 120 day-old chicks (Lohmann Brown) over a 62-day period with treatments arranged in a completely randomized design (CRD). Chemical composition of broiler basal diets differed significantly from the three green foliage supplements. Dry matter (DM) of leaf meals ranged from 97.8 to 227.0 g kg−1which was significantly (P<0.05) lower than that of broiler basal diets which averaged 900 g kg−1. Crude protein (CP) of leaf meals, however, ranged from 182.0 to 244.0 g kg−1which was generally higher than basal diets (130–153 g kg−1). Similarly, crude fiber (CF) was highest for centrosema and pueraria leaves (330–342 g kg−1) and lowest in basal diets (164–222 g kg−1). However, ether extract (EE) and nitrogen-free extract (NFE) were significantly higher in broiler basal diets. Broiler daily and total feed intake over 62 days were similar between treatments and the control, averaging 112 g d−1, while diets containing waterleaf were slightly (2.5%) lower. Total and daily bodyweight (BW) gains (2110 g and 34 g d−1) were also similar between treatments and the control, except that gains where the broiler diet was supplemented with centrosema foliage were 2.9% higher. A higher feed conversion ratio (FCR) and lower protein efficiency ratio (PER) for the diet supplemented with pueraria indicates a higher feed efficiency and better protein efficiency in the commercial control diet. Carcass characteristics with the commercial control diet included greater (P<0.05) intestinal length and gizzard and spleen weights than with green foliage supplements. However, broiler carcass weight was generally lowest (P<0.05) in the control group (64.3 g/100 g BW) and highest in the waterleaf group (71.3 g/100 g BW). Small differences in carcass weight among the treatments tested reduces the effectiveness of green feeds for practical and economic intensive broiler production. However, increased effectiveness of green feed supplementation for broiler production might likely be observed where broilers are managed on fenced rangelands planted to selected green feeds or in integrated systems where other livestock (rabbits, sheep, goats, etc.) are jointly reared. These results support the recommendation that leaf meals of green feeds should be incorporated into broiler diets in future studies.
Does use of draft animal power increase economic efficiency of smallholder farms in Kenya?
Authors: Guthiga P.M. , Karugia J.T. , Nyikal R.A. 
Published: December 2007

AbstractDraft animal power (DAP) has been identified as an environmentally friendly technology that is based on renewable energy and encompasses integration of livestock and crop production systems. Draft animal technology provides farmers with a possibility to cheaply access and use manure from the draft animals and farm power needed to apply renewable practices for land intensification. Compared to motorized mechanization, DAP is viewed as an appropriate and affordable technology especially for small-scale farmers in developing countries who cannot afford the expensive fuel-powered tractor mechanization. However, it is apparent that there is no consensus among researchers on how it affects crop yields, profit and production efficiency when applied in farm operations. This study addressed the question of whether using DAP increases economic efficiency of smallholder maize producers in central Kenya. Results of the study are derived from a sample of 80 farmers, 57% of whom used draft animals while 43% used hand hoes in carrying farm operations. In the study area, draft animals are almost exclusively used for land preparation and planting, with very few farmers applying them in the consecutive operations such as weeding. A profit function was estimated to test the hypothesis of equal economic efficiency between ‘DAP’ and ‘hoe’ farms. The results showed that farmers who used DAP obtained higher yields and operated at a higher economic efficiency compared to those who used hand hoes. The analysis underscores the viability of DAP in increasing profitability of small-scale farms; however, other aspects of the technology, such as affordability of the whole DAP package, availability of appropriate implements and skills of using the technology, must be taken into account when promoting adoption of DAP technology.
Organic banana production in Ecuador: Its implications on black Sigatoka development and plant–soil nutritional status
Authors: Jimenez Maria , Van der Veken Lieselot , Neirynck Heleen , Rodríguez Helga , Ruiz Omar , Swennen Rony 
Published: December 2007

AbstractBlack Sigatoka, caused by the leaf fungus Mycosphaerella fijiensis Morelet, is a major constraint to banana production around the world. In Ecuador, the biggest banana-exporting country in the world, this disease has become increasingly aggressive. This has resulted in more fungicide applications, which have significantly increased costs in production and for the environment. Consequently, many banana growers have shifted to organic production, which produces greater economic returns as a result of higher sale prices. In addition, production costs are lower as no fungicides are applied. These organic bananas receive substantial amounts of organic products. This study describes the black Sigatoka disease and nutrient status in an organic banana plantation and compares it with a conventionally fertilized and fungicide-treated plantation. Black Sigatoka symptoms were evaluated in the vegetative and flowering stages under both production conditions and in vitro conditions. Univariate and multivariate descriptive statistics were used to analyze the parameters. Disease symptoms were more severe in leaves from the organic field than in leaves from the inorganic field, but the nutrient status (soil and foliar) did not differ between the two farms. Banana plants from the organic farm had 12 functional leaves at flowering and eight functional leaves at harvest. Average banana yields were over 40% lower for organic versus inorganic management; however, the average price received for organic bananas was over two times higher. Profit–cost analysis has shown that the organic banana farm was substantially more profitable than the inorganic one during the time period analyzed. These results indicated that bananas can be grown commercially without fungicides, and the lower productivity levels are compensated by higher prices of organic fruits in international markets. In addition, organic production has beneficial impacts on social and environmental issues.
Incidence of Responses at the Lower Audiometric Limits
Authors: Halpin Chris 
Published: December 2007

PurposeTo put forward a symbol extension, consisting of an upward arrow added to current symbols, to denote that a patient continued to respond at the audiometric limit (i.e., –10 dB HL). Also, to present survey data to characterize the incidence of these responses.MethodA retrospective survey of 2,821 sequential audiometric evaluations was performed. Responses at the audiometric limits were counted, along with the stimulus conditions (i.e., transducer, frequency, and masking) and the age of the patient.ResultsA total of 307 instances of responses at the lower audiometric limits were seen in 173 of these cases (6.13%), with the majority by bone conduction.ConclusionsThe overall rate of responses at the audiometric limits was low, as expected. However, these responses were primarily seen in the age group from 4 to 15 years, and at least one such response occurred in 26% of cases in that age range.
The Association Between Tinnitus and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
Authors: Fagelson Marc A. 
Published: December 2007

PurposePosttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects nearly 10% of the population, a prevalence comparable with that of tinnitus. Similarities between the way PTSD and tinnitus influence auditory behaviors include exaggerated startle responses and decreased loudness tolerance. Tinnitus loudness is often exacerbated by sounds that trigger PTSD-related anxiety. This report addresses physical and psychological relations between PTSD and tinnitus.MethodA chart review of veterans seen over a 4-year period for tinnitus services was conducted. Case history and self-assessments of tinnitus handicap were examined in all patients. A review of the literature related to triggers and effects of PTSD was conducted to explore potential consequences related to the presence of PTSD in the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) tinnitus population.ResultsChart review confirmed that 34% of the first 300 patients enrolled in the VAMC Tinnitus Clinic also carried a diagnosis of PTSD. Patient reports citing tinnitus severity, suddenness of tinnitus onset, sound-tolerance problems, and sound-triggered exacerbation of tinnitus were more common for patients with a PTSD diagnosis than patients with tinnitus only.ConclusionsSeveral neural mechanisms linked to both tinnitus and PTSD affect auditory behaviors. Audiologists should be aware that patients with tinnitus and PTSD will require test protocols and referrals that address these powerful responses.
Objective and Subjective Hearing Aid Assessment Outcomes
Authors: Mendel Lisa Lucks 
Published: December 2007

PurposeTo determine whether specific sentence recognition assessments were sensitive enough to serve as objective outcome measurements that document subjective improvements in speech understanding with hearing aids.MethodThe Revised Speech Perception in Noise test (R-SPIN; R. C. Bilger, J. M. Nuetzel, W. M. Rabinowitz, & C. Rzeczkowski, 1984), the Hearing in Noise Test (HINT; M. Nilsson, S. D. Soli, & J. A. Sullivan, 1994), and the Quick Speech-in-Noise test (QuickSIN; Etymotic Research, 2001; M. C. Killion, P. A. Niquette, G. I. Gudmundsen, L. J. Revit, & S. Banerjee, 2004) were administered to 21 hearing aid users to determine whether the tests could adequately document improvements in speech understanding with hearing aids compared with the research participants' self-assessments of their own performance. Comparisons were made between unaided and aided performance on these sentence tests and on the Hearing Aid Performance Inventory (HAPI; B. E. Walden, M. Demorest, & E. Hepler, 1984).ResultsThe R-SPIN, the HINT Quiet threshold, and the QuickSIN signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) loss were the most sensitive of the sentence recognition tests to objectively assess improvements in speech perception performance with hearing aids. Comparisons among the subjective and objective outcome measures documented that HAPI ratings improved as performance on the R-SPIN, the HINT Quiet threshold, and the QuickSIN SNR loss improved.ConclusionsObjective documentation of subjective impressions is essential for determining the efficacy of treatment outcomes in hearing aid fitting. The findings reported here more clearly define the relationship between objective and subjective outcome measures in an attempt to better define true hearing aid benefit.
Directional Benefit in Simulated Classroom Environments
Authors: Ricketts Todd , Galster Jason , Tharpe Anne Marie 
Published: December 2007

PurposeTo examine speech recognition performance and subjective ratings for directional and omnidirectional microphone modes across a variety of simulated classroom environments.MethodSpeech recognition was measured in a group of 26 children age 10–17 years in up to 8 listening environments.ResultsSignificant directional benefit was found when the sound source(s) of interest was in front, and directional decrement was measured when the sound source of interest was behind the participants. Of considerable interest is that a directional decrement was observed in the absence of directional benefit when sources of interest were both in front of and behind the participants. In addition, limiting directional processing to the low frequencies eliminated both the directional deficit and the directional advantage.ConclusionsAlthough these data support the use of directional hearing aids in some noisy school environments, they also suggest that use of the directional mode should be limited to situations in which all talkers of interest are located in the front hemisphere. These results highlight the importance of appropriate switching between microphone modes in the school-age population.
Contribution of High-Frequency Information to the Acceptance of Background Noise in Listeners With Normal and Impaired Hearing
Authors: Plyler Patrick N. , Madix Steven G. , Thelin James W. , Johnston Kristie W. 
Published: December 2007

Purpose
To determine whether information beyond 2.0 kHz affected the acceptance of background noise in listeners with normal and/or impaired hearing.

Method
Speech stimuli (Arizona Travelogue) and multitalker babble were low-pass filtered at cutoff frequencies of 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 kHz and presented using an adaptive paradigm to determine the most comfortable level (MCL) and acceptable noise level (ANL) for 4 experimental conditions (unfiltered, 2.0, 4.0, and 6.0 kHz) for each listener.

Results
MCL for listening to speech in quiet was significantly increased when the speech stimuli were low-pass filtered at 2.0 kHz relative to the unfiltered and 6.0-kHz conditions. Acceptance of background noise was significantly poorer when the speech and noise stimuli were low-pass filtered at 2.0 kHz relative to the 6.0-kHz condition. Listeners with impaired hearing sensitivity had significantly greater MCL values than listeners with normal hearing, but ANL values were not significantly affected by the hearing sensitivity of the listener.

Conclusions
Information beyond 2.0 kHz significantly affected MCL and ANL values in both listeners with normal hearing and impaired hearing; however, effects for both the MCL and ANL measurements were small and may not be significant clinically.
Effectiveness of “Dangerous Decibels,” a School-Based Hearing Loss Prevention Program
Authors: Griest Susan E. , Folmer Robert L. , Martin William Hal 
Published: December 2007

PurposeTo evaluate the effectiveness of the “Dangerous Decibels” educational program in increasing students' knowledgeandpositively changing their attitudes and intended behaviors related to hearing and hearing loss prevention.MethodBaseline questionnaires were completed by 478 4th-grade students and 550 7th-grade students. Approximately half of the students in each grade received a 35-min interactive classroom presentation on hearing and hearing loss prevention. The remaining students served as comparison groups. Students who received the curriculum filled out questionnaires immediately after the presentation. All students filled out follow-up questionnaires 3 months after baseline.ResultsFourth-grade students who participated in the Dangerous Decibels presentation exhibited significant improvements in knowledge and attitudes related to hearing and hearing loss prevention. These improvements were maintained 3 months after the presentation. Seventh-grade students also experienced long-term improvements in their knowledge base. However, attitudes and intended behaviors in 7th graders returned to baseline levels 3 months postpresentation.ConclusionThe Dangerous Decibels hearing loss prevention program was effective at producing long-term improvements in the knowledge base of 4th- and 7th-grade students. Future studies should include components on peer pressure and should incorporate repeated, multimodality interventions to increase the likelihood of long-term improvement in adolescents.
Detecting the effects of environmental change above the species level with beetles in a fragmented tropical rainforest landscape
Authors: GRIMBACHER PETER S. , CATTERALL CARLA P. , KITCHING ROGER L. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract 1. Invertebrate data identified to coarse groupings according to taxonomy or ecology are easier to obtain than species‐level data. However, it is unclear if such data are suitable for detecting environmental change.2. We compared the performance of four types of data (species, family, trophic group, and body size) to quantify the responses of beetle assemblages with three types of environmental change on the Atherton Tableland in north‐eastern Queensland, Australia. Clearing of rainforest creates two levels of environmental change: first the extreme, forest loss, and second, the more subtle change associated with forest fragmentation. A strong rainfall gradient across the study landscape also influences the biota, imposing a third type of environmental change, independent of rainforest modification.3. Almost 20 000 beetles were sampled from six replicate sites in each of pasture, small rainforest remnants, and both the edges and interiors of large rainforest remnants.4. All four types of data showed significant multivariate differences in assemblage composition between pasture and rainforest sites. Species‐level data in multivariate analyses showed an effect of fragmentation on small remnants and also showed variation which corresponded with the spatial aridity gradient across sites. Both of these patterns were only weakly evident or were non‐existent at the level of family, trophic group, or body size class. No level of taxonomic resolution gave consistently stronger results when univariate tests were applied to individual component taxa.5. We conclude that data above the species level may not have the sensitivity required to detect more subtle forms of environmental change.
Mineral trioxide aggregate in the treatment of external invasive resorption: a case report
Authors: Pace R. , Giuliani V. , Pagavino G. 
Published: December 2007

AbstractAim  To describe the management of external invasive resorption using mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA).Summary  External invasive root resorption may occur as a consequence of trauma, orthodontic treatment, intracoronal bleaching and surgical procedures, and may lead to the progressive and destructive loss of tooth structure. Depending on the extent of the resorptive process, different treatment regimens have been proposed. A 19‐year‐old male patient presented with tooth 11 (FDI) showing signs and symptoms of irreversible pulpitis, external invasive resorption and periodontal pocket on the disto‐palatal. After root canal treatment, the defect was accessed coronally. The resorption area was chemo‐mechanically debrided using ultrasonic tips and irrigant solution. MTA was used to fill the resorptive defect, and the coronal access was temporarily sealed. The definitive coronal restoration was performed after 3 days. Radiographs at 1, 2 and 4 years showed adequate repair of the resorption and endodontic success. Clinically, the tooth was asymptomatic, and no periodontal pocket was found.Key learning points

Mineral trioxide aggregate was successfully used to restore a small area of external invasive resorption.
A coronal approach can sometimes be successfully used in order to avoid surgery and periodontal complications.
Effect of storage conditions on potassium iodide stability in iodised table salt and collagen preparations
Authors: Waszkowiak Katarzyna , Szymandera‐Buszka Krystyna 
Published: December 2007

SummaryTo determine the influence of storage conditions on potassium iodide (KI) stability, its traditional carrier – iodised table salt and alternative collagen carriers (i.e. iodinated collagen fibre and collagen hydrolysate) were stored at high (90%) and medium (60%) relative humidity of air. At medium humidity, these carriers were additionally stored at limited and unlimited access of air. The stability of KI was estimated by determining iodine retention during storage. The obtained results showed that the storage of iodised table salt resulted in iodine content decrease. The iodine losses in the salt tended to increase at high humidity or unlimited access of air. However, application of collagen preparations as carriers increased the KI stability, reducing iodine losses during storage and making them independent on the storage conditions.
Peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptors – from active regulators of macrophage biology to pharmacological targets in the treatment of cardiovascular disease
Authors: Bouhlel M. A. , Staels B. , Chinetti‐Gbaguidi G. 
Published: December 2007

Abstract.Altered macrophage functions contribute to the pathogenesis of many infectious, immunological and inflammatory disease processes. Pharmacological modulation of macrophage activities therefore represents an important strategy for the prevention and treatment of inflammation‐related diseases, such as atherosclerosis. This review focuses on recent advances on the role of the peroxisome proliferator‐activated receptor transcription factor family in the modulation of lipid homeostasis and the inflammatory response in macrophages and the potential participation of these actions in the modulation of metabolic and cardiovascular disease.
Optimization of multiphoton excitation microscopy by total emission detection using a parabolic light reflector
Authors: COMBS CHRISTIAN A. , SMIRNOV ALEKSANDR V. , RILEY JASON D. , GANDJBAKHCHE AMIR H. , KNUTSON JAY R. , BALABAN ROBERT S. 
Published: December 2007

SummaryWe have constructed a device that maximizes the probability of collecting all of the scattered and ballistic light isotropically generated at the focal spot of multiphoton excited emissions (MPE) to optimize the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) for micro‐imaging. This was accomplished by optically coupling a parabolic reflector (that surrounds the sample and top of the objective) to a pair of collimating lenses (above the sample) that redirects emitted light to a separate detector. These additional optics, combined with the objective, allow the total emission detection (TED) condition to be approached. Numerical simulations suggest an approximately 10‐fold improvement in SNR with TED. Comparisons between the objective detection and TED reveal an enhancement of 8.9 in SNR (77% of predicted) for GFP‐labelled brain slices and similar results for fluorescent beads. This increase in SNR can be used to improve time resolution, reduce laser power requirements/photodynamic damage, and, in certain cases, detection depth, for MPE imaging techniques.