Alternative Feedstuffs and Changing Coproducts for Cowherd

The combination of decreasing acres available for crop production, an increasing world population, increased utilization of grain for fuel and increased input costs (fuel, transportation, and fertilizer) have resulted in limited feed supplies and higher feed costs. Additionally, the recent drought in much of the United States has further reduced the available feed supply driving feed costs dramatically higher. Historically, feed costs have represented 50D70% of the cost of production for beef enterprises. This past year, the high prices for corn and hay have driven that percentage over 80% for many operations. CowDcalf producers have been forced to investigate alternative feedstuffs to lower the cost of production. Ideally, the cowherd is grazing a significant portion of the year. Grazing days varies drastically throughout different regions of the United States and is greatly impacted by year to year differences in weather patterns. Drought limits summer grazing. Snow and ice can limit winter grazing. Harvested and stored feeds represent the majority of feed costs for cowDcalf producers. With hay supplies low and hay costs high, producers need to consider alternative feeds for winter feeding and for emergency drought relief

The Effect of School Organizational Support on Job Satisfaction of Primary and Secondary School Teachers: The Mediating Role of Teachers’ Engagement in Educational Research

The topic of teacher work satisfaction has long been a focus of educational study. This study examined the impact of school organizational support on teacher job satisfaction as mediated by teachers’ engagement in educational research, utilizing the findings of a survey on the academic quality of basic education students in Jiangsu Province in 2020 and analyzing the data of 21,154 primary and 16,585 secondary school teachers. In this work, the structural equation model is utilized. Significant favorable relationships are shown between school organization support, teachers’ participation in educational research, and teachers’ work happiness. The engagement of teachers in educational research somewhat mediates the relationship between school organization support and teacher job happiness. School organization support positively predicts teacher job satisfaction. The impact of school organization support on teachers’ participation in educational research and job satisfaction is greater at the primary level than at the junior secondary level

Does Housework Help Improve Academic Performance? An Empirical Analysis on the Influence of Participation in Housework on Academic Performance of Primary and Middle School Students

At present, even if the education on hard-working spirit has been emphasized increasingly as an important part of practical education in China’s education policy, the reality is still far from satisfactory, because many parents do not provide their children with sufficient opportunities to do housework. Previous studies have indicated that the empirical analysis remains to be improved in terms of the relationship between housework and the development of primary and junior high school students. Based on data from the 2020 Monitoring of Students' Academic Quality in Basic Education in Jiangsu Province Study, this study investigates the influence of primary and secondary school students’ participation in housework on academic performance by using OLS regression and Coarsened Exact Matching (CEM). The results show that the current proportion of primary and junior high school students involved in housework is not high; however, participating in housework frequently will positively affect the academic performance of primary and junior high school students. Participation in housework in primary school has a greater positive impact on academic performance than that in junior high school. In addition, since excessive academic burden is the main factor hindering primary and junior high school students from being involved in housework, it is necessary to strengthen the publicity of education on hard-working spirit to help people know its importance. Also, we suggest the burden on schoolwork should be reduced to in order to promote more diversified housework related educational opportunities for students

Human Cancer and Platelet Interaction, a Potential Therapeutic Target

Cancer patients experience a four-fold increase in thrombosis risk, indicating that cancer development and progression are associated with platelet activation. Xenograft experiments and transgenic mouse models further demonstrate that platelet activation and platelet-cancer cell interaction are crucial for cancer metastasis. Direct or indirect interaction of platelets induces cancer cell plasticity and enhances survival and extravasation of circulating cancer cells during dissemination. In vivo and in vitro experiments also demonstrate that cancer cells induce platelet aggregation, suggesting that platelet-cancer interaction is bidirectional. Therefore, understanding how platelets crosstalk with cancer cells may identify potential strategies to inhibit cancer metastasis and to reduce cancer-related thrombosis. Here, we discuss the potential function of platelets in regulating cancer progression and summarize the factors and signaling pathways that mediate the cancer cell-platelet interaction

How Does Physical Exercise Affect Academic Performance? The Mediating Role of Non-Cognitive Abilities

Previous studies have found that good physical exercise can promote academic performance, but the underlying mechanism behind this lacks large-scale empirical data. Based on this, we used the 2020 Jiangsu Province academic quality monitoring data to construct an OLS regression. Then, the non-cognitive abilities variable was built with the NEO-FFI Theory, and the mediation effect diagram was drawn through the Amos22.0 software. The study found that: (i) Physical exercise brought academic improvement to elementary and middle school students. (ii) The influence mechanism of physical exercise was different between elementary school and middle school. Students at the elementary school were directly and indirectly affected. (iii) In non-cognitive specific dimensions, openness played a significant and great mediating role

Efficacy and safety of tirzepatide for weight loss in patients with obesity or type 2 diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundThis meta-analysis aims to evaluate efficacy and safety of tirzepatide for weight loss, including its dose-response relationship and adverse event profile.MethodsStudies were retrieved from high-impact journals and included phase 1 to phase 3 trials. Participants received tirzepatide at 5,10, or 15 mg doses or a placebo control. Weighted mean differences (WMD) and odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were used to evaluate treatment effects, and heterogeneity was assessed using I² statistic.ResultsTirzepatide induced a mean weight reduction of –10.39 kg versus placebo (95% CI: –10.80 to –9.99; p < 0.00001). Subgroup analyses by diabetes status showed that patients with type 2 diabetes lost –6.17 kg (95% CI: –7.16 to –5.17; p < 0.00001) at 5 mg, –8.57 kg (95% CI: –9.41 to –7.74; p < 0.00001) at 10 mg, and –9.60 kg (95% CI: –10.32 to –8.89; p < 0.00001) at 15 mg. Non-diabetic participants experienced greater absolute losses of –12.10 kg (95% CI: –13.47 to –10.72; p < 0.00001), –15.94 kg (95% CI: –17.25 to –14.62; p < 0.00001), and –17.86 kg (95% CI: –19.19 to –16.54; p < 0.00001) at the respective doses. Tirzepatide also markedly increased the odds of achieving clinically meaningful weight loss: ≥ 5% (OR=11.32; p < 0.0001), ≥ 10% (OR=14.77; p < 0.0001), and ≥ 15% (OR=18.07; p < 0.0001. Adverse events were more frequent with tirzepatide than placebo (OR=1.34; p < 0.0001), largely driven by gastrointestinal symptoms, whereas serious adverse events did not differ. Discontinuations due to side effects increased at higher doses (OR=2.31; p < 0.0001).ConclusionsTirzepatide induces significant, dose-dependent weight loss, with higher doses yielding greater reductions. While gastrointestinal side effects were common, they were generally mild to moderate and did not increase serious adverse events. These findings support tirzepatide as an effective weight management therapy, though strategies to mitigate gastrointestinal symptoms may improve adherence

Review of Musculoskeletal Injuries and Prevention in the Endoscopy Practitioner

Practitioners of endoscopy often experience musculoskeletal pain and injury (most often in the back, neck, shoulders, hands, wrists, and thumbs) that are associated with the minute and repetitive strain that is placed on these areas during endoscopic procedures. This review of the current documentation of endoscopy-related pain and injuries among practitioners finds that such problems are widespread and specific in kind as well as strongly correlated with high procedure volume and procedure duration. Research on the nature and impact of cumulative trauma and overuse syndromes in other professions such as dentistry, pianists, production labor, and athletics is brought to bear on the work of the endoscopist. A more thorough understanding of the nature and prevalence of work-related pain and injury sustained by endoscopists should inform further development of ergonomic practices and equipment design. This article reviews current recommendations for ergonomic design in the endoscopy procedure space and finds that reported compliance with those recommendations is quite low. Strategies for the management of the risk of musculoskeletal injuries related to the practice of endoscopy include compliance with currently recommended ergonomic practices, education of trainees in ergonomic technique when practicing endoscopy, and research toward the modification and development of more ergonomic endoscopes and procedure spaces

A hydraulically driven colonoscope

BACKGROUND: Conventional colonoscopy requires a high degree of operator skill and is often painful for the patient. We present a preliminary feasibility study of an alternative approach where a self-propelled colonoscope is hydraulically driven through the colon. METHODS: A hydraulic colonoscope which could be controlled manually or automatically was developed and assessed in a test bed modelled on the anatomy of the human colon. A conventional colonoscope was used by an experienced colonoscopist in the same test bed for comparison. Pressures and forces on the colon were measured during the test. RESULTS: The hydraulic colonoscope was able to successfully advance through the test bed in a comparable time to the conventional colonoscope. The hydraulic colonoscope reduces measured loads on artificial mesenteries, but increases intraluminal pressure compared to the colonoscope. Both manual and automatically controlled modes were able to successfully advance the hydraulic colonoscope through the colon. However, the automatic controller mode required lower pressures than manual control, but took longer to reach the caecum. CONCLUSIONS: The hydraulic colonoscope appears to be a viable device for further development as forces and pressures observed during use are comparable to those used in current clinical practice