The Influence of Age and Sex on Genetic Associations with Adult Body Size and Shape : A Large-Scale Genome-Wide Interaction Study

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified more than 100 genetic variants contributing to BMI, a measure of body size, or waist-to-hip ratio (adjusted for BMI, WHRadjBMI), a measure of body shape. Body size and shape change as people grow older and these changes differ substantially between men and women. To systematically screen for age-and/or sex-specific effects of genetic variants on BMI and WHRadjBMI, we performed meta-analyses of 114 studies (up to 320,485 individuals of European descent) with genome-wide chip and/or Metabochip data by the Genetic Investigation of Anthropometric Traits (GIANT) Consortium. Each study tested the association of up to similar to 2.8M SNPs with BMI and WHRadjBMI in four strata (men 50y, women 50y) and summary statistics were combined in stratum-specific meta-analyses. We then screened for variants that showed age-specific effects (G x AGE), sex-specific effects (G x SEX) or age-specific effects that differed between men and women (G x AGE x SEX). For BMI, we identified 15 loci (11 previously established for main effects, four novel) that showed significant (FDR= 50y). No sex-dependent effects were identified for BMI. For WHRadjBMI, we identified 44 loci (27 previously established for main effects, 17 novel) with sex-specific effects, of which 28 showed larger effects in women than in men, five showed larger effects in men than in women, and 11 showed opposite effects between sexes. No age-dependent effects were identified for WHRadjBMI. This is the first genome-wide interaction meta-analysis to report convincing evidence of age-dependent genetic effects on BMI. In addition, we confirm the sex-specificity of genetic effects on WHRadjBMI. These results may providefurther insights into the biology that underlies weight change with age or the sexually dimorphism of body shape.Peer reviewe

Output of selenium in milk, urine, and feces is proportional to selenium intake in dairy cows fed a total mixed ration supplemented with selenium yeast

Fifteen rumen fistulated Holstein cows in late lactation and fed a total mixed ration offered ad libitum were supplemented with Se yeast to provide 0, 11, 20, 30, or 42 mg of supplemental Se/day to test the hypothesis that amounts of Se secreted in milk, excreted in urine and feces, and apparently retained in tissues would increase in direct proportion to Se intake. One-half of the yeast supplement was placed directly into the rumen through the fistula of each cow just before milking in the morning and again in the evening, and estimates of average daily excretion of Se were made using total collections of urine and feces from 25 to 31 d after treatments commenced. Amounts of Se secreted daily in milk and apparently retained in tissues increased linearly with average daily intake of Se. The amount of Se excreted in feces and total excretion of Se in urine plus feces increased curvilinearly with Se intake, such that proportionately less Se was excreted as the amount of Se fed increased. On average, total Se excretion accounted for 66%, Se secretion in milk accounted for 17%, and Se apparently retained in tissues accounted for 17% of total Se intake by cows. Thus, in herds fed large amounts of Se yeast, most of the Se will be excreted and retained on-farm. High concentrations of Se will be found where urine and feces accumulate (e.g., yards and effluent ponds), and effluent management practices must be tailored to avoid environmental issues

Dairy Directions: a decade of whole farm analysis of dairy systems

Making farm decisions is difficult, especially making decisions about selling and pricing wheat in deregulated supply chains. This study, conducted prior to export deregulation, sought to identify which factors were important to northern New South Wales (NSW) wheat growers when they were making decisions about wheat selling and price risk, under production and market uncertainty. Key questions were about how they make these decisions and the implications, particularly for larger-sized farmers, merchants, end-users, bankers, advisors and trainers. The research aim was to test the behaviour of users and non-users of five selling methods and six pricing-hedging strategies against eighteen management and seventeen risk attitude-adoption questions. The findings from this research will assist understanding of farmer decision-making. Information about growers’ decision processes on wheat selling and pricing will be helpful to supply chain intermediaries and service personnel in improving the targeting and alignment of growers. More research is required on the cross-usage of different selling-pricing methods, the interdependence between discretionary costs of production and selling-pricing decisions, how speculative storage compares with on-farm rental storage of pre-sold product that integrates the farmer with the supply chain, and how speculative storage affects cash flow and debt repayment. Volume 20, Paper 2, (pp. 11-38) The Aggregate Economic Benefits to the Australian Beef Industry from the Adoption of Meat Standards Australia: updated to 2010/11 + Garry Griffith and John Thompson Meat and Livestock Australia and the Cooperative Research Centre for Cattle and Meat Quality funded a major R&D program in the mid 1990s to investigate the relationships between observable beef and cattle characteristics, cooking methods and consumer appreciation of beef palatability. Out of this R&D program grew the Meat Standards Australia (MSA) voluntary meat grading system which was aimed primarily at providing an accurate prediction of beef eating quality for the domestic market. The MSA system commenced operations in 1999/2000. The gross benefits associated with using the MSA system were quantified by using data on the number of carcases graded and certified, a survey of retailers and wholesalers based on prices for MSA graded beef (3 star or better) versus ungraded beef, and market reports of prices paid for MSA quality cattle versus non-MSA quality cattle. Over the period 2004/05 to 2010/11, beef consumers across Australia were prepared to pay on average $0.30/kg extra for MSA branded beef on a carcass weight equivalent basis to guarantee tenderness. This beef is primarily sold through independent butcher shops, although one of the major supermarket chains has now started selling MSA branded beef. The retailers kept about$0.06/kg and paid their wholesale suppliers the remaining $0.24/kg to source MSA compliant cattle and MSA graded carcasses. About$0.13/kg was passed back to cattle producers on average. The cumulative retail-level economic benefit of the MSA system to 2010/11 is estimated to be around $523 million, with a current annual benefit of around$77 million over the past three years. After accounting for all the costs of development and implementation, net benefits are at least $200 million. Volume 20, Paper 2 (pp.39-58) Dairy Directions: A decade of whole farm analysis of dairy systems B. Malcolm, C.K.M. Ho, D.P. Armstrong, P.T. Doyle, K.A. Tarrant, J.W. Heard, C.M. Leddin, W.J. Wales Dairy farm systems are complex and diverse. A decade ago, a dairy research and development project, Dairy Directions, was developed. In this program, the whole farm approach of farm management economics was used to investigate questions about options dairy farmers had to maintain and improve profitability, to achieve their goals. Commencing in one region of Victoria, with an initial focus on farm decisions, the scope of the work evolved to identifying gaps in scientific knowledge, contributing information to public policy formation, and expanded to other regions. A steering committee of farmers, related industry representatives, scientists and farm economists proved the key to success in this research process. In this paper, the whole farm economics approach to farm systems research is described and explained; in particular the role of using information about response functions, risk, time and case studies in answering questions about alternative farm futures. The application and results of the whole farm approach to a range of research questions about dairy farming in Victoria is presented. As well as confirming the known, findings have also identified unrecognized dimensions, and challenged theory

Halogens and their role in polar boundary-layer ozone depletion

During springtime in the polar regions, unique photochemistry converts inert halide salt ions (e.g. Br-) into reactive halogen species (e.g. Br atoms and BrO) that deplete ozone in the boundary layer to near zero levels. Since their discovery in the late 1980s, research on ozone depletion events (ODEs) has made great advances; however many key processes remain poorly understood. In this article we review the history, chemistry, dependence on environmental conditions, and impacts of ODEs. This research has shown the central role of bromine photochemistry, but how salts are transported from the ocean and are oxidized to become reactive halogen species in the air is still not fully understood. Halogens other than bromine (chlorine and iodine) are also activated through incompletely understood mechanisms that are probably coupled to bromine chemistry. The main consequence of halogen activation is chemical destruction of ozone, which removes the primary precursor of atmospheric oxidation, and generation of reactive halogen atoms/oxides that become the primary oxidizing species. The different reactivity of halogens as compared to OH and ozone has broad impacts on atmospheric chemistry, including near complete removal and deposition of mercury, alteration of oxidation fates for organic gases, and export of bromine into the free troposphere. Recent changes in the climate of the Arctic and state of the Arctic sea ice cover are likely to have strong effects on halogen activation and ODEs; however, more research is needed to make meaningful predictions of these changes

Pectus excavatum camouflage : a new technique using a tissue engineered scaffold

Pectus excavatum is the most common congenital chest wall deformity. Customised silicone implants have been used to camouflage this deformity with good short-term outcomes. In the long term, permanent implants have a significant risk of capsular contracture, migration and extrusion. Scaffold-guided tissue engineering provides an alternative autologous solution which avoids issues associated with permanent implants. We implanted a 3D-printed, custom-made, biodegradable and highly porous scaffold filled with autologous fat graft. We were able to sustain autologous fat in the construct. There was an excellent aesthetic outcome and the highly porous polycaprolactone implant was well tolerated by the patient. This case illustrates the first-in-human trial of soft tissue engineering to camouflage a pectus excavatum defect not reconstructable by conventional techniques. Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic study.</p

Location data of worker bumblebees across an agricultural landscape in Buckinghamshire, UK

This dataset contains locations of worker bumblebees of five species (Bombus terrestris, B. lapidarius, B. pascuorum, B. hortorum, B. ruderatus) across an agricultural landscape centred on the Hillesden Estate, Buckinghamshire, UK. Locations were recorded in the field using a handheld GPS unit. Workers were non-lethally DNA sampled between June and August 2011, and genetic analysis used to confirm species and assign individuals to full-sib groups (colonies). Data were collected as part of a project led by the Centre for Ecology &amp; Hydrology, funded under the Insect Pollinators Initiative