Search Results (5,403)

Our study objective was to determine the apparent metabolizable energy (AME) and apparent ileal amino acid digestibility (AIAAD) of spirulina fed to broiler chickens and laying hens using the difference method. In both experiments, birds were either fed corn-soybean meal basal diets, containing no spirulina and formulated to provide the nutrient requirements of either broilers or layers, or fed test diets consisting of 25% spirulina and 75% of the appropriate basal diet. Titanium dioxide was added to all diets as an indigestible marker. The diets were fed to 10 replicate cages/treatment of broilers and 15 replicate cages/treatment of laying hens. The AME of spirulina for broilers was significantly lower (p < 0.05) (2368 ± 104 kcal/kg, as fed) than for laying hens (3144 ± 173 kcal/kg, as fed), suggesting bird type and age may influence energy utilization. The AIAAD of spirulina fed to broiler chickens did not differ from that of laying hens (p > 0.05), except for valine, alanine, and glycine, which were all significantly higher in laying hens (p < 0.05). Overall, the AIAAD for nonessential amino acids averaged 81.1%, with no significant difference between essential and nonessential amino acids. Differences in spirulina nutrient content cited in the literature support further research to determine the optimal inclusion of this alternative ingredient in broiler and layer diets. Full article

The design of medical-grade compression garments is essential for therapeutic efficacy, requiring precise pressure distribution on specific body areas. This study evaluates the effectiveness of virtual fit technology, focusing on CLO3D, in designing these garments. Simulated strain and pressure values from CLO3D were compared to experimental measurements, alongside the development of a CP model using CLO3D’s digitized stretch stiffness (Youn’s CP model). Using a 3D-scanned manikin, the mechanical behavior of eight knit fabrics, including composite structures, was assessed under strain of 5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%. The results showed that CLO3D’s built-in pressure simulation overestimated the pressure, especially in plaited fabrics such as SJP and INTP, with discrepancies of up to 10 kPa at strain levels above 15%. In contrast, the experimental pressure measurements using the Kikuhime and PPS sensors varied within 0.13 to 2.59 kPa. Youn’s CP model provided a closer fit to the experimental data, with deviations limited to within 1.9 kPa. This finding highlights the limitations of CLO3D for precision-required applications and underscores the need for more advanced, customized algorithms in virtual fit technology to ensure reliable compression garment design, particularly in medical contexts, where precise pressure control is critical for patient outcomes. Full article

The lack of a standard anode for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) has greatly hindered their applications. Herein, we show that a novel phase of carbon, namely Q-carbon, is an effective anode material for sodium-ion batteries. The Q-carbon, which is a metastable phase of carbon consisting of about 80% sp³- and 20% sp²-bonded carbon, is synthesized by nonequilibrium pulsed laser annealing and arc-discharge methods. Two types of Q-carbons, Q1 and Q2, were evaluated as anode material for SIBs. Q1 had a slow quench and was used as the control, whereas Q2 was Q-carbon with a rapid quenching. Q1 exhibits a high initial columbic efficiency of 81% and a low-capacity retention of less than 60%, whereas Q2 has a low initial columbic efficiency of 58% and a high-capacity retention of 81%. Q2 exhibits a stable capacity of 168 mAh·g⁻¹ at a cycling rate of C/3 (124 mA·g⁻¹), which is comparable to other hard carbon anodes reported in the literature. This unique synthesis method opens a pathway for the further tuning of Q-carbon with higher trapping/charging of Na⁺ ions in improved SIBs. Full article

Adoption of diverse weed management practices is viewed as essential for slowing the spread of herbicide-resistant (HR) weeds. Yet, adoption of diverse tactics has remained low, while there has been explosive growth of resistant weeds. This study analyzes U.S.-farm-level data to identify factors affecting adoption of diverse weed management practices. This study uses directed acyclic graphs (DAGs) to consider how practice adoption is influenced by different causal pathways between farmer and farm characteristics and farmer awareness of and concern over HR weeds. This study then uses multiple regression analysis to estimate the direct and indirect pathways that influence practice adoption. Respondents relied more heavily on herbicide-based weed control methods than on mechanical or cultural methods. Concern over herbicide resistance increased the number of practices farmers adopted and the percentage of acres where farmers implemented these practices. Practice adoption was negatively associated with increasing levels of farmer risk aversion. Technological optimism—belief that new herbicides would soon be developed to counter HR weeds—discouraged diverse herbicide use practices that combat resistance, but encouraged use of some non-chemical weed control methods. Perceived weed dispersal externalities (from weed mobility) led to more diverse weed management, running counter to hypotheses that greater mobility reduces incentives for individual resistance management. Full article

Researchers are often interested in how changes in one variable influence changes in a second variable, requiring the repeated measures of two variables. There are several multivariate statistical methods appropriate for this research design, including generalized estimating equations (GEE) and latent growth curve modeling (LGCM). Both methods allow for variables that are not continuous in measurement level and not normally distributed. More recently, researchers have begun to employ area under the curve (AUC) as a potential alternative when the nature of change is less important than the overall effect of time on repeated measures of a random variable. The research showed that AUC is an acceptable alternative to LGCM with repeated measures of a continuous and a zero-inflated Poisson random variable. However, less is known about its performance relative to GEE and LGCM when the repeated measures are ordinal random variables. Further, to our knowledge, no study has compared AUC to LGCM or GEE when there are two longitudinal processes. We thus compared AUC to LGCM and GEE, assessing the effects of repeated measures of psychological distress on repeated measures of smoking. Results suggest AUC performed equally well with both methods, although missing data management is an issue with both AUC and GEE. Full article

Numerous fashion brands, such as Patagonia, H&M, and Levi’s, offer take-back programs, encouraging customers to return used clothing for monetary incentives so that the brands can resell, recycle, or donate them. Drawing on social exchange theory, this study suggests that consumers are more likely to participate in a loyal brand’s take-back program as they own more items from loyal brands due to repeated purchases. Loyal consumers, viewing this as part of an ongoing relationship with the brand, may participate because they perceive greater benefits than non-loyal consumers. In turn, brands benefit by keeping loyal consumers engaged through product collection and future purchases using coupons. This study examines how brand loyalty affects the perceived benefits of take-back programs, shaping participation intention. It also explores how environmental concern moderates the mediating effect of perceived benefits between brand loyalty and participation intention. Data were collected from 467 U.S. consumers via an online survey. Results revealed that the more loyal consumers were, the greater they perceived economic, environmental, and convenience benefits to be, increasing their intention to participate. Economic benefits were more effective for consumers with low levels of environmental concern, while environmental benefits were more influential for those with high levels of environmental concern. Full article

Background/Objectives: The experience of parenting in a highly medicalized, unnatural environment can result in impaired mother–infant bonding, but increased maternal presence at the infant’s bedside has been associated with improved infant and maternal outcomes. The primary objective of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators during the NICU Experience in regard to maternal presence in an NICU. Methods: We interviewed 12 mothers (7 Black, 5 white) of low socioeconomic status (SES) whose preterm infants (average birth gestational age of 27 weeks) were currently hospitalized in an NICU. We engaged the NICU Family Advisory Board in all steps of the research process. Results: Barriers and facilitators to maternal presence spanned all levels of the Socioecological Model; however, barriers were mostly at the societal, community, and institutional levels, while facilitators varied based on interpersonal and individual-level factors. Assets that mothers accessed to facilitate visits, such as free housing and shuttle services, were not available to all mothers based on individual circumstances (e.g., caregiving responsibilities). While a few mothers identified negative interactions with health care practitioners, these encounters were not attributed to racism or described as barriers to visitation. Conclusions: Hospitals can support families with infants in an NICU by providing free or inexpensive short-term sibling support, alleviating the burden of parking costs, and communicating early and frequently about available institutional resources during the hospital stay. Full article

This study investigates the degree to which pre-service interdisciplinary groups of undergraduate education candidates recognize co-teaching skills and behaviors in practice. With the increasing emphasis on collaborative teaching models in contemporary educational settings, understanding how future educators perceive and identify effective co-teaching practices is crucial for enhancing educational preparation programs (EPPs). Using a mixed-methods approach, this study analyzed consensus ratings from an interdisciplinary assignment that asked candidates to work collaboratively while identifying best practices in co-teaching across example and non-example videos. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected using student ratings and videos of group discussion for consensus scoring. Quantitative data were collected using consensus ratings for each indicator on the observation checklist. Qualitative data derived from video transcripts of the consensus rating sessions illuminated the process each group used and reasons each group provided for consensus ratings. The findings reveal varying degrees of recognition and understanding of co-teaching skills, highlighting both strengths and areas for improvement in the candidates’ ability to identify and apply these practices. This study provides valuable insights into the preparedness of pre-service educators for collaborative teaching environments and offers recommendations for integrating co-teaching competencies more effectively into EPPs. Full article

Background/Purpose: Fractal gait patterns have been shown to be modifiable, but the extent to which they are retained and transferred to new contexts is relatively unknown. This study aimed to close those gaps by enrolling participants (N = 23) in a seven-day fractal gait training program. Methods: Building on related work, the fractal gait training occurred on a treadmill over a 10-min period. Before and after the treadmill training, each participant walked for 10 min overground without the fractal stimulus used during training. The daily post-test was used to examine immediate retention and transfer of the fractal gait patterns from the treadmill to overground. The pre-tests in days 2–7 were used to examine the extent to which the fractal gait patterns from the preceding day were retained 24 h later. Inertial measurement units were used to measure stride time so a consistent measurement method could be employed in the treadmill and overground phases of the study. Results: Our results showed that multiple days of treadmill training led to elevated fractal patterns, indicating a positive training effect. However, the positive training effect observed on the treadmill did not transfer to overground walking. Conclusions: Collectively, the data show that fractal patterns in gait are modifiable across multiple days of training, but the transferability of these patterns to new contexts needs to be further explored. Full article

Background/Objectives: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs are multi-component interventions comprising structured strength and cardiovascular exercise training, psychological support, education, and therapies to promote positive lifestyle changes. This study aimed to determine if there are differences in the 6-minute walk distance (6MWD) across risk groups for recurrent heart disease. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used existing data collected from electronic medical records. The 6-minute walk distance was measured at baseline (pre-6MWD) and upon the completion of the CR program (post-6MWD). Short-term cardiac event recurrence risk was determined using a two-year recurrent coronary heart disease (2yRCHD) risk percentage, calculated according to the Framingham 2yRCHD calculator. Risk was then stratified into (1) low, (2) moderate, and (3) high-risk groups. Demographic variables (e.g., age, sex, racial/ethnic group) and clinical variables (e.g., BMI, lipid panels, fasting glucose levels, comorbidities) were collected to describe the study participants and identify potential confounders. An ANOVA and ANCOVA were performed to examine the differences in 6MWD across the 2yRCHD risk groups. Results: A total of 394 CR participants’ data were included in this analysis. Ninety-nine percent of the female participants were classified as low risk for recurrent heart disease, resulting in an extremely small sample size in the moderate-risk (n = 1) and no representation (n = 0) in the high-risk group. This lack of representation made it impossible to conduct comparative analyses across all the participants or to analyze female participants separately by risk category. Consequently, only male participant data were included in the final analysis. The study showed that pre- and post-6MWD measurements were significantly different across the three 2yRCHD risk groups (p = 0.006 for pre-6MWD; p = 0.002 for post-6MWD). The ANCOVA indicated that these differences were independent of the selected covariates. Post hoc analyses revealed significant differences in 6MWDs between the low- and high-risk groups and between the moderate- and high-risk groups, but not between the low- and moderate-risk groups, for both pre- and post-6MWD measurements. Compared to the CR participants in the high-risk group, those in the low- and moderate-risk groups achieved significantly longer distances in the 6-minute walk tests. Conclusions: The observed differences in the 6MWD across short-term cardiac recurrence risk levels suggest its potential as a simple, accessible tool for assessing cardiac recurrence risk levels in community settings. Further research is needed to generalize these findings to more diverse populations and to support aging in place for older adults living with heart disease. Full article

Over the last three decades, the receipt of formal sexuality education has declined, with half of adolescents nationwide receiving the minimum Healthy People standard of sexuality education from 2015 to 2019. Further, racial and geographic inequities in sexuality education remain, with Black women and girls more likely to receive abstinence-only-until-marriage instruction. We sought to describe Black women’s sexual education in two southern states, North Carolina and Georgia. We conducted a qualitative community-based participatory research study. We held focus-group discussions with forty-nine Black women in Georgia and North Carolina between May 2019 and January 2020. The research team, the reproductive justice organization, and the Research Board reviewed, discussed, and refined themes developed using deductive thematic analysis. Most participants were employed. The median age was twenty-seven. From the participants’ accounts, we observed the inadequacy of sexuality education and the resulting process of unlearning inaccurate, negative information and learning positive and accurate information about sexuality. Participants expressed a desire for accessible, high-quality sexual education for themselves and the next generation that addresses autonomy, pleasure, and consent. Our findings highlight the need for investment in existing community efforts and in creating high-quality, culturally responsive comprehensive sexuality education nationwide to effectively address structural barriers to accessing sexuality and relationship information and skills. Full article

This paper reports the development of a highly crosslinked hyper-branched polyglycerol (HPG) polymer bound to elastin-like proteins (ELPs) to create a membrane that undergoes a distinct closed-to-open permeation transition at 32 °C. The crosslinked HPG forms a robust, mesoporous structure (150–300 nm pores), suitable for selective filtration. The membranes were characterized by FTIR, UV–visible spectroscopy, SEM, and AFM, revealing their structural and morphological properties. Incorporating a synthetic polypeptide introduced thermo-responsive behavior, with the membrane transitioning from impermeable to permeable above the lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 32 °C. Permeation studies using crystal violet (CV) demonstrated selective transport, where CV permeated only above 32 °C, while water permeated at all temperatures. This hybrid HPG-ELP membrane system, acting as a molecular switch, offers potential for applications in drug delivery, bioseparations, and smart filtration systems, where permeability can be controlled by temperature. Full article

Researchers have examined the importance of school administrative support for teacher safety, victimization, anxiety, and retention; however, studies to date have rarely focused on school administrators’ perceptions of support by their district leaders, and its relation to administrators’ anxiety/stress, safety, and their intentions to transfer or quit their jobs. In the current study of 457 PreK-12th grade school administrators in the United States, structural equation modeling was used to examine relations between administrators’ perceptions of support from their district leaders and their anxiety/stress, safety, and intentions to transfer or quit their jobs. Administrator experiences of violence by student offenders served as a moderator. Results indicated that administrators’ perceptions of district leaders’ support were associated with lower intentions to transfer or quit their positions both directly and indirectly as a function of decreased anxiety/stress. District support was positively related to administrator safety, particularly for administrators who reported experiencing more student violence. Findings highlight the importance of district support of administrators for reducing mental health concerns and transfer/quit intentions in the context of student violence against school administrators. Implications of findings for research and practice are presented. Full article

We investigated the single-electron spectrum of an InAs/GaAs quantum dot (QD) using an effective potential model developed in previous studies. Our objective was to explore the limits of applicability of this model. We conducted numerical simulations, introducing a piezoelectric potential as a perturbation to the effective potential. The profile of this additional potential was derived from theoretical numerical studies presented in the literature. We analyzed the impact of variations in this profile within the framework of the perturbation theory. Our findings indicate that within a variation range of 25%, the effective potential model remains applicable. Full article