Farm-Level Contracting for Production Process Attributes: An Analysis of rBST in Milk Production

On November 5, 1993, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Recombinant Bovine Somatotropin (rBST), also JOURNAL OF FOOD LAW & POLICY called Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rbGH), for commercial use to increase milk production in dairy cattle. The FDA determined that milk from cows which have been treated with rBST was safe for human consumption and that there was no significant impact on the environment from the production and use of rBST. In February 1994 the Monsanto Corporation (Monsanto) introduced POSILACO bovine somatotropin, making rBST commercially available to United States dairy farmers

Banking on Housing; Spending the Home

British mortgagors hold more wealth in their homes than ever before. They are spending more freely from these assets now than they are likely to again. \u27Banking on housing\u27 is concerned with when, where, why and how people choose and use their mortgages to roll equity out of housing and into other things. It is a study of the consumption of housing, the consumption of mortgages, and the use of housing wealth in consumption more broadly

\u2730-minute city\u27? Not in my backyard! Smart Cities Plan must let people have their say

The federal government\u27s Smart Cities Plan is framed around the 30-minute city . In this city, journeys will take no more than half an hour, regardless of your location. The recently released plan has significant implications for population, transport provision and land-use intensity in neighbourhoods - the places where people live and how they get around. The realisation of its goals will require ongoing densification of Australian suburbs

Planning the post-political city: exploring public participation in the contemporary Australian city

This special section examines the possibility of meaningful debate and contestation over urban decisions and futures in politically constrained contexts. In doing so, it moves with the post-political times: critically examining the proliferation of deliber- ative mechanisms; identifying the informal assemblages of diverse actors taking on new roles in urban socio-spatial justice; and illuminating the spaces where informal and formal planning processes meet. These questions are particularly pertinent for understanding the processes shaping Australian cities and public participation today

Support for smoke-free multi-unit housing policies among racially and ethnically diverse, low-income seniors in south florida

Open access: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10823-014-9247-4/fulltext.html Previous studies have gauged support for implementing smoke-free MUH policies in the United States, but none have specifically examined attitudes among racially and ethnically diverse seniors living in low-income MUH. As part of an evaluation of a Community Transformation Grant funded program, we surveyed senior residents 62 years of age and older (n = 807) in 24 low-income housing properties in Broward County, Florida, to assess residents’ smoking behaviors, exposure to SHS, and support for smoke-free MUH policies. The study sample was ethnically and racially diverse with Hispanics comprising more than 61% of the population, and 22% of the population identified as Black or other races. Although close to 22% of the sample were former smokers, only 9% of residents reported being current smokers. The majority of residents surveyed supported no-smoking policies: 75% support no-smoking policies for individual units; 77% supported no-smoking policies in common areas; and, 68% supported no-smoking policies in outdoor areas. Over 29% of residents surveyed reported being exposed to secondhand smoke entering their units from elsewhere in their building. In sub-group analysis, Hispanic residents were significantly more likely to support both indoor (84.3 vs. 76.5, p\u3c.05) and outdoor (80.0 vs. 67.4, p\u3c.01) policies compared to non-Hispanic residents. Support for smoke-free policies did not vary significantly by race. This study demonstrates that senior residents living in low-income MUH properties overwhelmingly supported the implementation of smoke-free policies

Knowledge and Perceptions of Latent Tuberculosis Infection among Chinese Immigrants in a Canadian Urban Centre

Background. Since most tuberculosis (TB) cases in immigrants to British Columbia (BC), Canada, develop from latent TB infection (LTBI), treating immigrants for LTBI can contribute to the eradication of TB. However, adherence to LTBI treatment is a challenge that is influenced by knowledge and perceptions. This research explores Chinese immigrants\u27 knowledge and perceptions towards LTBI in Greater Vancouver. Methods. This mixed methods study included a cross-sectional patient survey at BC\u27s Provincial TB clinics and two focus group discussions (FGDs) with Chinese immigrants. Data from FGDs were coded and analyzed in Simplified Chinese. Codes, themes, and selected quotes were then translated into English. Results. The survey identified a mean basic knowledge score: 40.0% (95% CI: 38.3%, 41.7%). FGDs confirmed that Chinese immigrants\u27 knowledge of LTBI was low, and they confused it with TB disease to the extent of experiencing LTBI associated stigma. Participants also expressed difficulties navigating the health system which impeded testing and treatment of LTBI. Online videos were the preferred format for receiving health information. Conclusion. We identified striking gaps in knowledge surrounding an LTBI diagnosis. Concerns of stigma may influence acceptance and adherence of LTBI treatment in Chinese immigrants. Integrating these findings into routine health care is recommended

Alterations to the Gastrointestinal Microbiome Associated with Methamphetamine Use among Young Men who have Sex with Men.

Methamphetamine (MA) use is a major public health problem in the United States, especially among people living with HIV (PLWH). Many MA-induced neurotoxic effects are mediated by inflammation and gut microbiota may play a role in this process, yet the effects of MA on the microbiome have not been adequately explored. Therefore, we performed 16S rRNA gene sequencing on rectal swab samples from 381 men who have sex with men, 48% of whom were PLWH and 41% of whom used MA. We compared microbiome composition between MA users and non-users while testing for potential interactions with HIV and controlling for numerous confounders using inverse probability of treatment weighting. We found that MA use explained significant variation in overall composition (R2 = 0.005, p = 0.008) and was associated with elevated Finegoldia, Parvimonas, Peptoniphilus, and Porphyromonas and reduced Butyricicoccus and Faecalibacterium, among others. Genera including Actinomyces and Streptobacillus interacted with HIV status, such that they were increased in HIV+ MA users. Finegoldia and Peptoniphilus increased with increasing frequency of MA use, among others. In summary, MA use was associated with a microbial imbalance favoring pro-inflammatory bacteria, including some with neuroactive potential and others that have previously been associated with poor HIV outcomes

Correspondence: Emails related to an DWC Information Brochure

Emailed related to planning the informational brochure. Includes mock up items and correspondence regarding brochure revisions

A long-term context (931–2005 C.E.) for rapid warming over Central Asia

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2014. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Elsevier for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Quaternary Science Reviews 121 (2015): 89-97, doi:10.1016/j.quascirev.2015.05.020.Warming over Mongolia and adjacent Central Asia has been unusually rapid over the past few decades, particularly in the summer, with surface temperature anomalies higher than for much of the globe. With few temperature station records available in this remote region prior to the 1950s, paleoclimatic data must be used to understand annual-to-centennial scale climate variability, to local response to large-scale forcing mechanisms, and the significance of major features of the past millennium such as the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA) and Little Ice Age (LIA) both of which can vary globally. Here we use an extensive collection of living and subfossil wood samples from temperature-sensitive trees to produce a millennial-length, validated reconstruction of summer temperatures for Mongolia and Central Asia from 931 to 2005 CE. This tree-ring reconstruction shows general agreement with the MCA (warming) and LIA (cooling) trends, a significant volcanic signature, and warming in the 20th and 21st Century. Recent warming (2000-2005) exceeds that from any other time and is concurrent with, and likely exacerbated, the impact of extreme drought (1999-2002) that resulted in massive livestock loss across Mongolia.This research was supported by the National Science Foundation under grants AGS-PRF #1137729, ATM0117442, and AGS0402474

European and Mediterranean hydroclimate responses to tropical volcanic forcing over the last millennium

Volcanic eruptions have global climate impacts, but their effect on the hydrologic cycle is poorly understood. We use a modified version of superposed epoch analysis, an eruption year list collated from multiple data sets, and seasonal paleoclimate reconstructions (soil moisture, precipitation, geopotential heights, and temperature) to investigate volcanic forcing of spring and summer hydroclimate over Europe and the Mediterranean over the last millennium. In the western Mediterranean, wet conditions occur in the eruption year and the following 3 years. Conversely, northwestern Europe and the British Isles experience dry conditions in response to volcanic eruptions, with the largest moisture deficits in posteruption years 2 and 3. The precipitation response occurs primarily in late spring and early summer (April–July), a pattern that strongly resembles the negative phase of the East Atlantic Pattern. Modulated by this mode of climate variability, eruptions force significant, widespread, and heterogeneous hydroclimate responses across Europe and the Mediterranean