The study aimed to determine the effects of sex on bodyweight (BW) and dimensions, carcass weight, dressing percentage, percentage of carcass components, chemical composition, mineral content, acidity and electrical conductivity of the breast and leg muscles of grey partridges (Perdix perdix L.). The experiment also determined the colour attributes, textural and rheological characteristics, and mineral content in the liver of the grey partridge. Fifteen males and 15 females were examined. Carcasses were weighed on electronic scales, then dissected. The chemical compounds in the breast and leg muscles were determined with a near-infrared spectrophotometer. To ascertain the contents of minerals, the meat samples were analysed by spectrometry. The textural and rheological properties were established with the TPA double compression test, Warner-Bratzler (WB) test, and the relaxation test. At 36 weeks, males had significantly longer keels and shanks than females. Males and females did not differ significantly in the weight of the eviscerated carcass, dressing percentage, and percentage of carcass components. There were no significant differences between males and females in the chemical composition of meat from breasts and legs, and in the mineral contents of the breast and leg muscles and the liver. Bird sex had no significant effect on acidity and electrical conductivity of the breast and leg muscles or on the lightness (L*), redness (a*), and yellowness (b*) of the Pectoralis major muscle. No significant differences were established between 36-week-old males and females in textural and rheological characteristics. Thus, there was scant evidence for sexual dimorphism in this species.

BACKGROUND. Academic achievement refers to the extent to which a learner, instructor or institution has accomplished their short- or long-term educational goals. There are inconclusive results about the individual factors that successfully predict academic performance. Emotional intelligence has been a popular topic in the field of higher educational learning. Several research reports have shown that emotional intelligence is one of the factors that successfully predicts students' academic achievement.OBJECTIVES. To examine the relationship between emotional-social intelligence (ESI) and self-reported academic achievement among nursing students.METHODS. A descriptive-comparative approach was used. The study was carried out on 127 nursing students from different academic levels. The study used two tools, namely an ESI questionnaire and an academic achievement scale.RESULTS. The females had statistically significant higher means than the males in their scores on the ESI questionnaire (p=0.042) and interpersonal competencies (p=0.003). There were positive correlations between ESI score, its five components and students' self-reported academic achievement.CONCLUSION. The outcome of this study suggests that educational planners and academicians should embrace emotional intelligence-developing courses at college and university levels.

The aim of the study was to compare carcass composition and meat quality of i) Pekin ducks of French origin (P9), ii) crosses of wild mallard and Pekin duck (K2), and iii) crosses of Khaki Campbell drakes and Orpington Fauve ducks (KhO1). Twenty carcasses from 110-week-old ducks of each genetic group were used. Carcass weight of P9 was significantly higher than that of K2 and KhO1. Carcasses of K2 ducks had a significantly lower percentage of neck and leg muscles and giblet weight compared with P9 and KhO1 ducks, while carcasses of KhO1 ducks had a significantly higher percentage of wing meat compared with K2 and P9, and a significantly lower percentage of breast muscles compared with P9 ducks. Breast and leg muscles of P9 contained significantly more water than those of K2 and KhO1, and the breast muscles of P9 ducks had more protein and less fat than those of KhO1 birds. The leg muscles of KhO1 contained significantly more protein, and those of K2 had significantly more fat than the other duck groups. Breast muscles of P9 and KhO1 ducks had significantly more collagen but had less in leg muscles compared with K2. Breast fillets from P9 ducks showed higher L*, a*, and b* colour values and shear force than K2 and KhO1 ducks.

ABSTRACT The experiment used 100 grey partridges (Perdix perdix L.), which were reared first in confinement and later in aviaries. Partridges were lighter and had greater body dimensions at 36 weeks compared to 12 weeks except for trunk length. Older birds showed greater values (p>0.05) of compactness and lower values of massiveness and long-leggedness. Significant differences were found for keel length in females. At 36 weeks, male and female partridges had significantly greater total intestinal length, males had significantly longer small intestine and rectum, and females were characterized by significantly longer caeca and greater (p<0.05) intestine to body length ratio. Older birds had significantly greater gizzard weight and percentage and heart percentage (males and females), as well as significantly lower liver weight (males) and spleen weight and percentage. The present study provided information on the growth and development of farmed grey partridges before release into the natural environment.

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to determine body weight and dimensions, body conformation, length of the esophagus, length of intestine and its segments, as well as weight of internal organs and their proportions relative the body weight of broiler chickens from three commercial lines - Ross 308, Hubbard Flex and Hubbard F15. At the age of 42 days, Ross 308 chickens had significantly (p≤0.05) shorter trunk, but greater chest circumference and compactness index, as well as shorter esophagus and longer large intestine compared with Hubbard F15. The longest large and total intestine was found in Ross 308 broilers. Chicken genotype had no significant effect on the percentage of the main internal organs, i.e. liver, heart, proventriculus, gizzard, and spleen. In the analyzed broilers, the coefficients of correlation between body weight and dimensions and the length of the esophagus, small intestine, caeca and large intestine were low and not significant. This study provides information relevant to breeding practice, including that the development of internal organs in broiler chickens raised under intensive conditions has an effect on their meat characteristics.

We report a case of pulmonary nocardiosis in a 41-year-old asthma patient. Chest radiographs showed bilateral air space and consolidations. Acid-fast branching filaments were demonstrated in sputum, and the grown organism was identified phenotypically and confirmed using 16S rDNA sequencing (accession no. KX500116). The patient received a combination of medical treatments, but developed complications, which were managed over the next 3 months, after which she was discharged. Pulmonary nocardiosis should be considered in patients undergoing steroid therapy or when a chronic infection does not respond to first-line treatment.

The aim of the study was to compare the bodyweight and body measurements, carcass composition, and characteristics of major visceral organs in male and female Pekin ducks. A total of 80 hybrid SM3 Heavy ducks were kept in a conventional building and fed complete commercial diets ad libitum. The male and female were weighed individually at one day old and their bodyweight and body measurements were determined at 21, 35 and 49 days of rearing. On day 49, 20 males and 20 females were chosen for slaughter. After slaughter, the carcasses and visceral organs were collected. No significant differences were observed between males and females in bodyweight (1 d, 58.6 vs 56.3 g to 49 d, 3518 vs 3433 g) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (0-49 d, 2.44 vs 2.49 kg/kg gain). At 35 days old males demonstrated a significantly longer body and shanks and, at 49 days old a significantly longer body than females. The sex of ducks had no significant effect on the percentage of wings, muscles from breast and legs, skin with subcutaneous fat, abdominal fat and carcass remainder. The neck content was significantly greater in male carcasses than female ones. The contents of proventriculus, liver, and spleen in the bodies of males and females were similar. Gizzard percentage was significantly greater in males, and heart percentage was significantly greater in females. Due to their high bodyweight, good FCR, and favourable carcass composition, SM3 Heavy male ducks are more useful as broiler duck than females.

This paper is devoted to study the approximate solution of singular and non singular integral equations by means of Chebyshev polynomial and shifted Chebyshev polynomial. Some examples are presented to illustrate the mothed.

Este artículo se dedica al estudio de la solución aproximada de ecuaciones integrales singulares y no singulares por medio de polinomios de Chebyshev con o sin corrimiento. Se presentan algunos ejemplos para ilustrarlo.

This paper concerned with applicability of the method of Kantorovich majorants to nonlinear singular integral equations with Hilbert kernel . The results are illustrated in Hölder space.

Este artículo es concerniente a la aplicabilidad del método de mayorantes de Kantorovich para ecuaciones integrales singulares no lineales con núcleo de Hilbert. Los resultados son aplicaciones en espacios de Hölder.