Grass-fed and Organic Beef: Production Costs and Breakeven Market Prices, 2008 and 2009

Higher prices offered for grass-fed and organic grassfed beef appear attractive, but production costs, in many cases, are also higher than for conventional beef. With accurate costs of grass-fed beef production beef producers and potential producers can use these tools to make better informed decisions about entering this specialty beef production stream, establishing breakeven selling prices and determining the necessary selling price for economic sustainability of the enterprise. These data suggest that in in 2008 and 2009, after adjustments are made for cull cow sales, these producers would need to receive $209/hundredweight of live market animal produced to breakeven

Well-managed grazing systems: A forgotten hero of conservation

Ecologically sound grazing management is an underused and underappreciated conservation tool in the eastern United States. We contend that significant policy and educational barriers stand in the way of expanding the use of this conservation tool. Well-managed pasture systems combine vigorous perennial vegetation cover, reduced pesticide and fertilizer inputs, and lower costs of production using ecological approaches to generate ecosystem services for society, as well as economic sustainability for the producer. The majority of currently available conservation policy tools were designed to address either rangeland grazing situations in the western United States or conservation cropping in the eastern United States. To promote well-managed pastures in the eastern United States, resource managers and government agencies struggle to adapt programs that are really designed for annual row crop systems. Additional educational and technical assistance resources are needed for promoting well-managed pasture-based farming in the region. This paper summarizes the potential of well-managed pasture systems to provide ecosystem services, provides thoughts for discussion on the barriers to adoption of such systems in the eastern United States, and offers some solutions to move such systems forward through policy and educational efforts. These ideas were first presented at a symposium as part of the 2011 Annual Conference of the Soil and Water Conservation Society in Washington, DC

The Basics of Contract Grazing

Contract grazing arrangements put livestock on pastures in managed grazing systems. This fact sheet, #1 in a four-part series, describes the basics of contract grazing

Inverse modelling of the reversely magnetized, shallow plumbing system hosting oil reservoirs of the Auca Mahuida volcano (Payeina retroarc, Neuquén Basin, Argentina)

The Auca Mahuida volcano (2.03–0.88 Ma) located east of the Andean thrust front in the; Neuqu´en basin (Argentina) hosts an oil system of thermogenic origin and is affected by the; NW–SE striking-faults. Intrusive bodies and the underlying Jurassic sediments constitute the; reservoir rocks. Aeromagnetic data collected in the Auca Mahuida area detected multiple; dipolar magnetic anomalies, many of which have reverse polarity. Palaeomagnetic measurements; on rock samples collected in the field together with available age determinations indicate; that the reversely magnetized sources were mainly emplaced during the Matuyama reverse; polarity chron while the normal polarity sources were emplaced during the Olduvai and/or; Jaramillo subchrons. The location and geometry of the intrusive bodies is poorly known and; the customary magnetic inversion is rendered difficult because of multiple natural remanent; magnetization directions. To address these difficulties, a voxel inversion was applied to model; the vector residual magnetic intensity (VRMI) transformation of the observed total magnetic; intensity data. The modelling showed a 1.5 km deep, subcircular ring-shaped intrusion below; the summit of the volcano and a series of NW–SE elongated, fault-controlled intrusive bodies; to depths up to 3–4 km. Our results show that magnetic data and VRMI modelling help resolve; the geometry of the shallow plumbing system of volcanoes with remanently magnetized; sources, and estimate the depth and geometry of potential oil reservoirs in volcanic areas.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Drivers with and without Obesity Respond Differently to a Multi-Component Health Intervention in Heavy Goods Vehicle Drivers

Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (reference: NIHR PHR 15/190/42). The study was also supported by the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre which is a partnership between University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Loughborough University and the University of Leicester. Laura Gray is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands (ARC EM). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Funding to cover the intervention costs (Fitbits and cab workout equipment) was provided by the Higher Education Innovation Fund, via the Loughborough University Enterprise Projects Group. The Colt Foundation provided funding for a PhD Studentship, awarded to Amber Guest (reference: JD/618), which covered Amber’s time and contributions to this project. The funders played no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation or in the preparation of this manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

The structured health intervention for truckers (SHIFT) cluster randomised controlled trial : a mixed methods process evaluation

Funding This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (reference: NIHR PHR 15/190/42). The study was also supported by the NIHR Leicester Biomedical Research Centre which is a partnership between University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Loughborough University, and the University of Leicester. Laura Gray is supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration East Midlands (ARC EM). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care. Funding to cover intervention costs (Fitbits, cab workout equipment) was provided by the Higher Education Innovation Fund, via the Loughborough University Enterprise Projects Group. The Colt Foundation provided funding for a PhD Studentship, awarded to Amber Guest (reference: JD/618), which covered Amber’s time and contributions to this project. None of the funding bodies had any role in study design; election, synthesis, and interpretation of data; writing of the report; or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication. Acknowledgements We gratefully acknowledge the support provided by senior Health and Safety personnel and Transport Managers at our partner logistics company in facilitating this research. We also thank all participants for taking part. We are grateful to the independent members of the Trial Steering Committee for their continued support and advice throughout the trial: Dr. Derrick Bennett, Prof Emma McIntosh, Prof Petra Wark and Mr. Paul Gardiner.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Lower serum IgA is associated with COPD exacerbation risk in SPIROMICS

Background Decreased but measurable serum IgA levels (≤70 mg/dL) have been associated with risk for infections in some populations, but are unstudied in COPD. This study tested the hypothesis that subnormal serum IgA levels would be associated with exacerbation risk in COPD. Methods Data were analyzed from 1,049 COPD participants from the observational cohort study SPIROMICS (535 (51%) women; mean age 66.1 (SD 7.8), 338 (32%) current smokers) who had baseline serum IgA measured using the Myriad RBM biomarker discovery platform. Exacerbation data was collected prospectively (mean 944.3 (SD 281.3) days), and adjusted linear, logistic and zero-inflated negative binomial regressions were performed. Results Mean IgA was 269.1 mg/dL (SD 150.9). One individual had deficient levels of serum IgA (<7 mg/dL) and 25 (2.4%) had IgA level ≤70 mg/dL. Participants with IgA ≤70 mg/dL were younger (62 vs. 66 years, p = 0.01) but otherwise similar to those with higher IgA. In adjusted models, IgA ≤70 mg/dL was associated with higher exacerbation incidence rates (IRR 1.71, 95% CI 1.01–2.87, p = 0.044) and greater risk for any severe exacerbation (OR 2.99, 95% CI 1.30–6.94, p = 0.010). In adjusted models among those in the lowest decile (<120 mg/dL), each 10 mg/dL decrement in IgA (analyzed continuously) was associated with more exacerbations during follow-up (β 0.24, 95% CI 0.017–0.46, p = 0.035). Conclusions Subnormal serum IgA levels were associated with increased risk for acute exacerbations, supporting mildly impaired IgA levels as a contributing factor in COPD morbidity. Additionally, a dose-response relationship between lower serum IgA and number of exacerbations was found among individuals with serum IgA in the lowest decile, further supporting the link between serum IgA and exacerbation risk. Future COPD studies should more comprehensively characterize immune status to define the clinical relevance of these findings and their potential for therapeutic correction

Stability of Strong Species Interactions Resist the Synergistic Effects of Local and Global Pollution in Kelp Forests

Foundation species, such as kelp, exert disproportionately strong community effects and persist, in part, by dominating taxa that inhibit their regeneration. Human activities which benefit their competitors, however, may reduce stability of communities, increasing the probability of phase-shifts. We tested whether a foundation species (kelp) would continue to inhibit a key competitor (turf-forming algae) under moderately increased local (nutrient) and near-future forecasted global pollution (CO2). Our results reveal that in the absence of kelp, local and global pollutants combined to cause the greatest cover and mass of turfs, a synergistic response whereby turfs increased more than would be predicted by adding the independent effects of treatments (kelp absence, elevated nutrients, forecasted CO2). The positive effects of nutrient and CO2 enrichment on turfs were, however, inhibited by the presence of kelp, indicating the competitive effect of kelp was stronger than synergistic effects of moderate enrichment of local and global pollutants. Quantification of physicochemical parameters within experimental mesocosms suggests turf inhibition was likely due to an effect of kelp on physical (i.e. shading) rather than chemical conditions. Such results indicate that while forecasted climates may increase the probability of phase-shifts, maintenance of intact populations of foundation species could enable the continued strength of interactions and persistence of communities

Anthropogenic Disturbance Can Determine the Magnitude of Opportunistic Species Responses on Marine Urban Infrastructures

Background: Coastal landscapes are being transformed as a consequence of the increasing demand for infrastructures to sustain residential, commercial and tourist activities. Thus, intertidal and shallow marine habitats are largely being replaced by a variety of artificial substrata (e.g. breakwaters, seawalls, jetties). Understanding the ecological functioning of these artificial habitats is key to planning their design and management, in order to minimise their impacts and to improve their potential to contribute to marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Nonetheless, little effort has been made to assess the role of human disturbances in shaping the structure of assemblages on marine artificial infrastructures. We tested the hypothesis that some negative impacts associated with the expansion of opportunistic and invasive species on urban infrastructures can be related to the severe human disturbances that are typical of these environments, such as those from maintenance and renovation works. Methodology/Principal Findings: Maintenance caused a marked decrease in the cover of dominant space occupiers, such as mussels and oysters, and a significant enhancement of opportunistic and invasive forms, such as biofilm and macroalgae. These effects were particularly pronounced on sheltered substrata compared to exposed substrata. Experimental application of the disturbance in winter reduced the magnitude of the impacts compared to application in spring or summer. We use these results to identify possible management strategies to inform the improvement of the ecological value of artificial marine infrastructures. Conclusions/Significance: We demonstrate that some of the impacts of globally expanding marine urban infrastructures, such as those related to the spread of opportunistic, and invasive species could be mitigated through ecologically-driven planning and management of long-term maintenance of these structures. Impact mitigation is a possible outcome of policies that consider the ecological features of built infrastructures and the fundamental value of controlling biodiversity in marine urban systems

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives