A Qualitative Study of “online” Work Breaks

Despite the growing empirical evidence on the beneficial effects of “micro” work breaks, scant research has examined “online” work breaks. Thus, the purpose of this study is to explore the nature and effects of online work breaks. Through an in-depth qualitative study of a diverse set of 33 full-time working professionals, we identified conditions under which online breaks occur as well as the characteristics and outcomes of these breaks. Interestingly, our findings point to both negative and positive outcomes associated with online breaks, largely dependent on an individual’s ability to self-regulate. Our grounded theory approach allows us to develop a richer description of online work breaks and a theoretical model to help guide future research

Super-dosed Phytase Improves Rate and Efficiency of Gain in Nursery Pigs

The performance and growth of four hundred forty newly weaned nursery pigs were observed over a 35-day trial at the Iowa State University Swine Nutrition Farm. Pigs were allotted to one of four treatments: an NRC derived positive control [PC], a negative control with 10% lower SID lysine with relative lowering of all other essential amino acids and 1% reduced fat [NC], and two phytase levels: 0 vs 2,500 FTU Quantum Blue, with the 2,500 FTU being considered ‘super-dosed’. Pigs started with an average initial body weight of 6.27 ± 0.01 kg., and received feed and water ad libitum. For the overall experiment, both diet and phytase improved ADG and G:F. However, ADFI was unaffected, and there were no interactions. In conclusion, including phytase at super-dosed levels in the nursery pig diet improves growth performance, regardless of diet adequacy

The Effects of Short-term Study Abroad on Expanding Students’ Culture Perception and Identity

The ability to interact effectively with other cultures in the workplace is becoming increasingly important. As such, it is crucial to train students who later enter the workforce to be culturally competent. In this study, an opportunity arose to study students completing week-long study abroad trips with an experiential learning component. Open ended responses revealed interesting results about outsider perceptions of students’ home culture. Viewed as a pilot study, results are important for showing the importance of week-long service-learning study abroad trips and implications for development of a student’s cultural identity as they enter the workforce

Efficacy of dasatinib for the treatment of intractable chronic myeloid leukemia

Dasatinib (DAS) is a well tolerated oral dual SRC inhibitor with remarkable activity against all phases of imatinib-resistant chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This paper focuses on the activity of DAS in intractable CML, and reviews outcomes of patients enrolled on DAS clinical trials. Safety and tolerability as well as practical tips for management of side-effects, and drug interactions are included

Super-dosing phytase improves nursery growth performance

In many plants, such as corn and soybean meal, much of the phosphorus is stored in a compound called phytate. Why is this important? There are three reasons. First, the pig cannot digest phytate-bound phosphorus, so it passes through the pig into the manure; this is good for producing nutrient-rich fertilizer to be applied to corn and soybean fields, but not so good for feeding pigs

The impact of “super-dosing” phytase in pig diets on growth performance during the nursery and grow-out periods

Previous research indicates that “super-dosing” phytase may improve pig growth performance by improved nutrient use, although the benefits appear to be more consistent in nursery than in grow-out pigs. Therefore, two experiments were conducted to determine if performance could be improved by feeding phytase at super-dosed levels, and whether this response would be different if energy and amino acid (AA) were limiting. Experiment 1 involved 440 weaned pigs (6.27 ± 0.01 kg) in a factorial arrangement of treatments comparing the main effects of diet (positive control [PC] balanced for all nutrients vs. a negative control [NC]: 10% lower standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine with relative reduction of all other essential AA and 1% reduced fat) and phytase levels (0 vs. 2,500 FTU Quantum Blue 5G phytase/kg). Pigs were assigned to pen according to a randomized complete block design based on body weight (BW). Feed and water were provided ad libitum across four dietary phases: 3 × 1 wk plus 1 × 2 wk. The average daily gain (ADG) and gain to feed ratio (G:F) were improved in the PC relative to the NC (P \u3c 0.05) indicating success in formulating a diet limiting in energy and/or AA. Phytase improved ADG and G:F, regardless of diet composition (P \u3c 0.05). Thus, super-dosing phytase improved nursery pig growth performance, irrespective of diet nutrient adequacy or deficit. Experiment 2 involved 2,200 growing pigs (36.6 ± 0.30 kg) allotted to five treatments: a balanced PC (250 FTU Quantum Blue 5G phytase/kg), an NC (PC with 15% less SID lysine and 1.5% lower net energy [NE]), and three super-dosing phytase treatments applied to the NC totaling 1,000, 1,750, and 2,500 FTU phytase/kg. Feed and water were available ad libitum. At trial completion (approximately 122 kg), the PC pigs were heavier and more efficient than the NC pigs (P \u3c 0.05) indicating success in formulating an NC treatment. Super-dosing phytase had no effect on whole body ADG or average daily feed intake (P \u3e 0.10) but tended to improve G:F and feed energy efficiency (P \u3c 0.10). Super-dosing phytase improved carcass-based feed and feed energy efficiency (P \u3c 0.05) and tended to improve ADG (P \u3c 0.10). Supplying phytase at “super-dosed” levels—above that required to meet the phosphorus requirement—improved growth performance in nursery pigs (6 to 22 kg BW) and provided smaller benefits in grow-finish pigs (37 to 122 kg BW). The improvement during the nursery period was independent of energy and AA levels in the diet

Super-dosing phytase improves grow finish performance

Higher levels of phytase increased feed efficiency by 1% on live and carcass weight basis, as well as improving growth rate on a live weight basis and on a carcass weight basis

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The Impact of Housing System on the Determination of Apparent Total Tract Digestibility of Energy and Dry Matter

The performance and growth of 176 gilts in three different housing systems was observed over a 7-day trial at the Iowa State Swine Nutrition Farm. Pigs were split into one of three systems, group pens (GP) with 20 pigs in each, individual pens (IP), or metabolism crates (MC). Pigs started with an initial weight of 48.5 kg, ± 0.31, and were fed and watered ad libitum. Pigs in the GP systems had less apparent total tract digestibility (ATTD) than those in IP, which also had less ATTD than those in MC. This indicates that digestibility trials held in MC may be over-estimating ATTD of feed sources that are to be applied to a commercial or GP environment.</p