Assessment of Management Factors Prior to Breeding and their Impact on Bovine Fertility

Management of female infertility is a primary determinant of economic efficiency in the cattle industry. Management factors involved in impacting fertility include identification of females with suboptimal fertility and reducing the period of anestrus, prior to pubescence and after parturition. The use of anti-Müllerian hormone in the identification of females with suboptimal follicular populations allows for selection of females with optimal follicular populations and could reduce infertility resulting from a decrease in the quantity of follicles. A reduction in the period of anestrus also impacts fertility and management strategies that induce an ovulatory response in anestrous females improves fertility. Biostimulation has advanced pubescence in heifers and reduced the length of postpartum anestrus in cows. Advancing the understanding of anti-Müllerian hormone and the biostimulatory effect allows for further assessment of these management factors and their impact on infertility. Improved management of female infertility increases profitability of cattle production

Wind energy\u27s bycatch: Offshore wind deployment impacts on hydropower operation and migratory fish

Hydropower plays a key role in maintaining grid reliability, but there is uncertainty regarding the ecological implications of using hydropower to balance variability from high penetration of intermittent renewable resources, such as solar and wind. Hydropower can offer advantages at the macro-ecological level (e.g., reduced greenhouse gas emissions), however it may have significant environmental impact on a local level (e.g., increased risk to fish species during migration and breeding periods). Using the New England region as a case study, we use an electricity model to estimate how hydropower operation changes as offshore wind capacity increases at a system level. We then tie alterations in hydropower energy production to local impacts on riverine ecosystems and the lifecycle of migratory fish. We find that increasing offshore wind capacity from 1600 to 10,000 MW more than doubles the average hourly hydropower ramping need and the associated river flowrate during April. This increased flowrate aligns with the migration timing of the lone endangered fish species on the Connecticut River, the shortnose sturgeon. Alternatively, the majority of months in which hydropower operation is most strongly impacted by the addition of offshore wind capacity do not coincide with key fish lifecycle events. Other sustainability benefits, including reduced air pollution and water consumption, can be achieved through deployments of offshore wind. Our results suggest that in order to balance global (i.e., CO2 mitigation) and local (i.e., fish migration) environmental issues, a portfolio of solutions is needed to address grid integration of renewables

Socio-Cultural, Organizational, and Community Level Influences on Physical Activity Levels of Latino Preschool-Age Children: A Qualitative Study

Objectives: As more children grow up in families with immigrant parents of Latino origin, there is a need to understand key influences on physical activity behaviors of young Latino children to prevent obesity in this high-risk group.Design: We conducted six focus groups with low-income Latina mothers (N = 33) whose preschool-aged children (2-5 years) were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program in Rhode Island. Data was analyzed using content analysis to identify recurrent themes.Results: Despite understanding the importance of physical activity for overall health, physical activity was not a top priority for the Latino mothers participating in the focus groups. Mothers reported facing numerous barriers to establishing and maintaining healthful physical activity habits for their preschool-aged children and themselves, particularly financial and socio-cultural barriers. Analyses revealed that Latina mothers perceive the WIC as a program focused on the development and maintenance of healthy eating habits and nutritional status of children and not physical activity.Conclusions: Recognizing the importance of socioeconomic position and the influence of cultural factors on physical activity is essential if effective prevention and intervention programs for Latino families and their children are to be designed. Study findings emphasize the importance of the family as a central unit of change and suggest that successful interventions to promote physical activity of low-income Latino preschool children must take into account the needs and constraints of the family unit as a whole. The WIC program has the potential to be a venue for promoting awareness of and educating low-income Latino parents about the importance of helping their children develop and maintain early healthful physical activity habits. The WIC program can also play an important role in facilitating access and creating programs and services that provide increased opportunities for physical activity of young children and their families

U.S. West Coast trawl groundfish: Have economic goals been met under catch shares?

Implemented in 2011, the West Coast Groundfish Trawl Catch Share Program was designed to achieve multiple economic goals and objectives for a diverse multispecies fishery, including increasing net benefits, profitability, flexibility, and utilization of harvest allocations. Here, we leverage seven years of comprehensive cost and earnings data to evaluate progress towards these goals, with a focus on harvesters. Our assessment shows that five years post-implementation, net benefits to the nation have doubled, and indicators of productivity and profitability for the two primary fleets have increased. The fleet that targets Pacific whiting has seen the largest gains, due in part to increases in total allowable catch and the elimination of the race-to-fish, distributing landings across the season. However, increased revenues have not been realized to the degree that was expected for harvesters targeting non-whiting groundfish, likely due to lower than predicted consolidation and relatively low quota utilization. Economic outcomes indicate that trade-offs exist between certain objectives of the program, specifically between achieving full utilization and increasing flexibility for harvesters. Results are discussed in the context of the design and evaluation of catch share programs for multispecies fisheries

Developing Telemental Health Partnerships Between State Medical Schools and Federally Qualified Health Centers: Navigating the Regulatory Landscape and Policy Recommendations

BackgroundFederally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) deliver care to 26 million Americans living in underserved areas, but few offer telemental health (TMH) services. The social missions of FQHCs and publicly funded state medical schools create a compelling argument for the development of TMH partnerships. In this paper, we share our experience and recommendations from launching TMH partnerships between 12 rural FQHCs and 3 state medical schools.ExperienceThere was consensus that medical school TMH providers should practice as part of the FQHC team to promote integration, enhance quality and safety, and ensure financial sustainability. For TMH providers to practice and bill as FQHC providers, the following issues must be addressed: (1) credentialing and privileging the TMH providers at the FQHC, (2) expanding FQHC Scope of Project to include telepsychiatry, (3) remote access to medical records, (4) insurance credentialing/paneling, billing, and supplemental payments, (5) contracting with the medical school, and (6) indemnity coverage for TMH.RecommendationsWe make recommendations to both state medical schools and FQHCs about how to overcome existing barriers to TMH partnerships. We also make recommendations about changes to policy that would mitigate the impact of these barriers. Specifically, we make recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid about insurance credentialing, facility fees, eligibility of TMH encounters for supplemental payments, and Medicare eligibility rules for TMH billing by FQHCs. We also make recommendations to the Health Resources and Services Administration about restrictions on adding telepsychiatry to the FQHCsâ Scope of Project and the eligibility of TMH providers for indemnity coverage under the Federal Tort Claims Act.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149739/1/jrh12323_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149739/2/jrh12323.pd

Global Mental Health and Nutrition: Moving Toward a Convergent Research Agenda.

Both malnutrition and poor mental health are leading sources of global mortality, disease, and disability. The fields of global food security and nutrition (FSN) and mental health have historically been seen as separate fields of research. Each have undergone substantial transformation, especially from clinical, primary care orientations to wider, sociopolitical approaches to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. In recent years, the trajectories of research on mental health and FSN are further evolving into an intersection of evidence. FSN impacts mental health through various pathways such as food insecurity and nutrients important for neurotransmission. Mental health drives FSN outcomes, for example through loss of motivation and caregiving capacities. They are also linked through a complex and interrelated set of determinants. However, the heterogeneity of the evidence base limits inferences about these important dynamics. Furthermore, interdisciplinary projects and programmes are gaining ground in methodology and impact, but further guidance in integration is much needed. An evidence-driven conceptual framework should inform hypothesis testing and programme implementation. The intersection of mental health and FSN can be an opportunity to invest holistically in advancing thinking in both fields

Systematic evidence and gap map of research linking food security and nutrition to mental health.

Connections between food security and nutrition (FSN) and mental health have been analytically investigated, but conclusions are difficult to draw given the breadth of literature. Furthermore, there is little guidance for continued research. We searched three databases for analytical studies linking FSN to mental health. Out of 30,896 records, we characterized and mapped 1945 studies onto an interactive Evidence and Gap Map (EGM). In these studies, anthropometry (especially BMI) and diets were most linked to mental health (predominantly depression). There were fewer studies on infant and young child feeding, birth outcomes, and nutrient biomarkers related to anxiety, stress, and mental well-being. Two-thirds of studies hypothesized FSN measures as the exposure influencing mental health outcomes. Most studies were observational, followed by systematic reviews as the next largest category of study. One-third of studies were carried out in low- and middle-income countries. This map visualizes the extent and nature of analytical studies relating FSN to mental health and may be useful in guiding future research

Anthropometric measures and serum estrogen metabolism in postmenopausal women: the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study

Background: Several anthropometric measures have been associated with hormone-related cancers. However, it is unknown whether estrogen metabolism plays an important role in these relationships. We examined whether measured current body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), height, and self-reported BMI at age 18 years were associated with serum estrogens/estrogen metabolites using baseline, cross-sectional data from 1835 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study. Methods: Fifteen estrogens/estrogen metabolites were quantified using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Geometric means (GMs) of estrogens/estrogen metabolites (in picomoles per liter) were estimated using inverse probability weighted linear regression, adjusting for potential confounders and stratified on menopausal hormone therapy (MHT) use. Results: Among never or former MHT users, current BMI (≥30 vs. <25 kg/m2) was positively associated with parent estrogens (multivariable adjusted GM 432 vs. 239 pmol/L for estrone, 74 vs. 46 pmol/L for estradiol; p-trend < 0.001 for both) and all of the 2-, 4-, and 16-pathway estrogen metabolites evaluated (all p-trend ≤ 0.02). After additional adjustment for estradiol, unconjugated methylated 2-catechols were inversely associated (e.g., 2-methoxyestrone multivariable GM 9.3 vs. 12.0 pmol/L; p-trend < 0.001). Among current MHT users, current BMI was not associated with parent estrogens but was inversely associated with methylated catechols (e.g., 2-methoxyestrone multivariable GM 216 vs. 280 pmol/L; p-trend = 0.008). Similar patterns of association were found with WHR; however, the associations were not independent of BMI. Height and BMI at age 18 years were not associated with postmenopausal estrogens/estrogen metabolite levels. Conclusions: Our data suggest that postmenopausal BMI is associated with increased circulating levels of parent estrogens and reduced methylation of catechol estrogen metabolites, the estrogen metabolism patterns that have previously been associated with higher breast cancer risk. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13058-017-0810-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Involution of Breast Lobules, Mammographic Breast Density and Prognosis Among Tamoxifen-Treated Estrogen Receptor-Positive Breast Cancer Patients

Mammographic breast density (MD) reflects breast fibroglandular content. Its decline following adjuvant tamoxifen treated, estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancer has been associated with improved outcomes. Breast cancers arise from structures termed lobules, and lower MD is associated with increased age-related lobule involution. We assessed whether pre-treatment involution influenced associations between MD decline and risk of breast cancer-specific death. ER-positive tamoxifen treated patients diagnosed at Kaiser Permanente Northwest (1990&ndash;2008) were defined as cases who died of breast cancer (n = 54) and matched controls (remained alive over similar follow-up; n = 180). Lobule involution was assessed by examining terminal duct lobular units (TDLUs) in benign tissues surrounding cancers as TDLU count/mm2, median span and acini count/TDLU. MD (%) was measured in the unaffected breast at baseline (median 6-months before) and follow-up (median 12-months after tamoxifen initiation). TDLU measures and baseline MD were positively associated among controls (p &lt; 0.05). In multivariable regression models, MD decline (&ge;10%) was associated with reduced risk of breast cancer-specific death before (odds ratio (OR): 0.41, 95% CI: 0.18&ndash;0.92) and after (OR: 0.41, 95% CI: 0.18&ndash;0.94) adjustment for TDLU count/mm2, TDLU span (OR: 0.34, 95% CI: 0.14&ndash;0.84), and acini count/TDLU (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13&ndash;0.81). MD decline following adjuvant tamoxifen is associated with reduced risk of breast cancer-specific death, irrespective of pre-treatment lobule involution