Cowboy Conservation: Rewilding the Cattle Industry and the Future of Food

In Texas, where the cattle industry has long been intertwined with the cultural fabric of the state, envisioning a world without beef can feel like a daunting proposition. Texans have cultivated a deep-rooted relationship with ranching and cattle farming for generations. Yet, as the global discourse around environmental sustainability and health-conscious eating intensifies, there is a growing consensus that we need to scale down reliance on livestock. However, the key to a more sustainable future lies not in abandoning these age-old traditions but in leveraging innovations within the cattle industry to make it a greener, more resilient, and affordable source of nourishment. To cut the cattle industry out of the economy cold-turkey is simply implausible: it would not only disrupt the lives and livelihoods of countless ranchers but also challenge the cultural norms that have been upheld for centuries. Instead, the path forward involves embracing change while recognizing the essential role that ranching plays in our food system. This thesis reviews the existing cattle industry and the role of meat in our diets, rebuts some of the common arguments against cattle ranching, outlines functional small scale and regenerative ranching practices, and offers solutions for the future of food that are in line with the competitive, distributed, and resilient system that we so desperately need. I focused on scale, grazing strategies, pesticide and chemical use, breed selection, and herd management strategies as cattle management tools to cultivate sustainable beef production. I also address asset management strategies that may help ranchers convert to more sustainable production.Plan II Honors Progra

Characterising the pleiotropic activity and spatial dynamics of Prostaglandin EP2 receptor signalling

EP2 is a member of the G protein coupled receptor superfamily and is implicated in both physiological and pathophysiological signalling in reproductive tissues. Classically reported as Gαs-mediated in reproductive tissues EP2 can also signal via Gαq/11, although the mechanism underlying this promiscuity is unknown. Tight regulation of internalisation and trafficking to endosomal compartments such as the early, or very early endosomes, is fundamental to GPCR signalling capacity, thus discovery of ligands that take advantage of EP2 pleiotropy by preferentially activating specific EP2 pathways could be valuable therapeutically. Therefore, I first characterised EP2 trafficking and signalling using three highly specific ligands – butaprost, AH13205, and PGN9856i. In HEK 293 cells, EP2 undergoes dynamin-dependent constitutive, but limited ligand-directed, internalisation, which was required for full activation of Gαs-cAMP and Gαq/11-Ca2+ pathways. In pregnant myometrium, EP2 signals via Gαs/Gαq/11, activating contrasting pro- and anti- labour pathways until labour, when EP2 Gαs signalling is downregulated. Prostaglandin signalling is a key part of physiological labour, thus understanding the mechanics of EP2 signalling during labour could lead to novel therapeutics to combat preterm birth, which represents a major challenge to public health. I found that EP2 signalling is altered with the onset of labour, favouring pro-inflammatory pathways in early and late labour. OTR activation ‘switched’ EP2 signalling pathways to Gαi/o when activated with butaprost, enhancing pro-labour pathways and dampening Gαs-cAMP, which may be mediated by formation and rearrangement of EP2-OTR heteromers. Whilst AH13205 exhibited an extreme inflammatory profile in both HEK 293 and myometrial cells, and engaged EP2 in crosstalk with OTR, enhancing pro-labour pathways, PGN9856i did not activate Gαq/11-mediated pro-labour/inflammatory pathways in HEK cells or primary myometrial cells, and may actively antagonise OT-mediated pathways. Together, these findings uncover novel aspects of EP2 pleiotropy and suggest that biased EP2 ligands may be valuable tools for targeting reproductive tissues.Open Acces

Domesticity, Literacy, and Self in Mary Shelley\u27s Frankenstein

This research paper focuses on the influence of domesticity in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. The motivation for this project comes from the theories of Gaston Bachelard in his book, The Poetics of Space. I study the domestic situation of the three narrators from Frankenstein: Robert Walton, Victor Frankenstein, and the creature. Additionally, I analyze each character’s household, as well as their isolation, in order to highlight the difference between belonging to a home and being homeless. Belonging to a household, and maintaining an attachment to home appears to be particular characters’ saving grace. On the other hand, and paradoxically, it seems that home drives characters away and into isolation or society. Each character demonstrates how their home environment teaches them language, and language informs their self-identification. The result of this research is the realization that Mary Shelley’s most famous novel depicts how home informs identity

Laver (Porphyra spp) and soy protein concentrate as alternative proteins in diets for juvenile Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua

Fishmeal is the main ingredient in formulated fish feeds, and the cost of this commodity is the largest and most volatile recurrent expenditure by the finfish aquaculture industry. Additionally, the reliance on wild-harvested forage species raises concerns about the industry\u27s ecological impacts. Marine macroalgae and soy-derived feed ingredients both have merits as alternative proteins for piscivorous marine fish. Atlantic cod, in particular, have a highly adaptable digestive system and perform well with alternative protein diets. Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, juveniles (initial body weights: 15.6 g, 87.9 g, and 15.92 g) were fed iso-nitrogenous, iso-caloric diets to evaluate two alternative proteins. In the first experiment, purple laver (Porphyra spp.) replaced 0%, 15%, or 30% of the fishmeal in a commercially available marine finfish diet. In the second experiment, diets contained soy protein concentrate (SPC) to provide 0%, 10%, 20%, 30% or 40% dietary soy protein or to replace 0%, 25%, and 50% of the fishmeal in a commercially available diet for marine finfish. No differences in survival, growth, or hepatic-somatic indices were found among any of the treatment groups. The fish attained an average weight of 41.0 g with a specific growth rate (SGR) of 1.19% and a feed conversion ratio (FCR) of 1.26 in the first experiment. In the second experiment, the fish attained average weights of 162.7 g in the first trial and 39.1 g in the second trial with SGRs of 0.76% and 1.12% and FCRs of 1.28 and 1.29, respectively. These results indicate that soy protein concentrate can entirely replace fish meal in diets for juvenile Atlantic cod. Additionally, SPC or Porphyra can be combined with other common feed ingredients to replace dietary fishmeal by at least 50% or 30%, respectively

What is the most appropriate treatment for chronic rhinosinusitis?

Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) is a common, treatable disease that affects approximately 11% of British adults. It places an enormous burden on patients, with significant detriment to their quality of life, and the health service as it consumes vast numbers of both primary and secondary care resources. However, there is considerable variability in treatment strategies and prescribing practices. This review summarises the key recommendations from landmark guidelines in the treatment of CRS and critically appraises the evidence for treatment

Effect of early versus late time-restricted eating on glycaemic control, measured by continuous glucose monitoring, in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes

Aim: To investigate via the use of continuous glucose monitors (CGM) the acute effect of time-restricted eating (TRE) in early (eTRE; 8:00-16:00 hrs) versus late (lTRE; 12:00-20:00 hrs) conditions on inter-day glycaemic variability (GV) in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Eight sedentary individuals (five female/ three male; 51±6 years; body mass index (BMI) 28.0±2.9 kg/m2; Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) 37.9±3.3 mmol/mol) with a habitual food intake distribution >14 hrs/day, participated in a randomised-crossover control TRE study. Protocol compared eTRE to lTRE as well as non-TRE to TRE periods, with each phase lasting 3-days. TRE conditions utilised were isocaloric and eucaloric, and energy intake was calculated via Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Meals provided within the TRE condition consisted of 60% CHO, 25% protein, and 16% fat. CGM was used to assess markers of GV, including but not exclusive to mean absolute glucose (MAG), coefficient of variation (CV), and mean amplitude of glycaemic excursions (MAGE). A 2 factor repeated measures analysis of variance was used (2 conditions [eTRE vs lTRE] x 2 time-points [baseline vs TRE]) for statistical testing. Results: Following TRE, a significant reduction, was observed within MAG by 0.4 mmol/l (95% CI 0.1 to 0.8; 0.041), MAGE by 0.4 mmol/l (95% CI 0.1 to 0.8; P= 0.024) and CV by 2.5 mmol/l (0.6, 4.4) p values 0.041, 0.024, 0.016 respectively (i.e., baseline to TRE). There were no significant changes in physical activity (PA) or diet (total caloric intake, CHO and fat), however protein did significantly differ from baseline to TRE, 21.8g (baseline before eTRE; beTRE) and 23.2g (baseline before lTRE; blTRE) less in comparison to TRE (150g). Conclusion: In the absence of calorie restriction, TRE improved some markers of inter-day GV. This data indicates a possible therapeutic role of TRE in adults at risk for T2D. Further direction: This small study of short-term TRE provided an understanding for possible effects exhibited by an 8-hour TRE protocol on glycaemic markers. Future studies should determine whether the significant effects are still experienced in the long-term via a longer intervention period. Additionally, a larger, more varied cohort should be utilised analysing various ages, ethnicities, and BMI groups due to the low generalisability of the few current studies available

The Native Graphic Design Project

Review of The Native Graphic Design Project, Reviewed June 2021 by Abigail Walker, Library Assistant Institute of Fine Arts Library, New York University [email protected]

The Navigator: Your guide to leadership for social purpose

The Navigator is your guide to leadership for social purpose. At the Centre for Social Impact (CSI), we believe that effective leadership for social purpose is one of the keys to achieving a better world, where people have the opportunity to achieve their goals free of discrimination and social inequality, where complex social problems are addressed, communities are diverse and thriving, and where organisations across sectors work together to grow positive social impact

The Economic Case for Expanding Vaccination Coverage of Children

While childhood vaccination programs, such as WHO’s Expanded Program on Immunization, have had a dramatic impact on child morbidity and mortality worldwide, lack of coverage with several existing vaccines is responsible for large numbers of child deaths each year, mostly in developing countries. According to WHO estimates, increased coverage of three vaccines alone – pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV), rotavirus vaccine (Rota), and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccine – could have prevented one and a half million deaths in children under five years in 2002. In deciding whether to implement interventions to expand vaccination coverage policy makers often consider economic evaluations. Past evaluations, however, have usually ignored both important vaccination benefits and potentially large cost reductions in vaccination delivery. We demonstrate for the example of benefit-cost analysis (BCA) of the Hib vaccination that past studies have mostly taken narrow evaluation perspectives, focusing on health gains, health care cost savings, and reductions in the time costs that parents incur when taking care of sick children, while ignoring other benefits, in particular, outcome-related productivity gains (Hib vaccination can prevent permanent mental and physical disabilities) behavior-related productivity gains (reductions in child mortality due to Hib can trigger changes in fertility which in turn may stimulate economic growth) and community externalities (Hib vaccination can prevent the development of antibiotic resistance and reduce the risk of Hib infections in unvaccinated persons). We further show that the costs of Hib vaccine delivery can be reduced if the monovalent Hib vaccine is replaced by combination vaccines. Such cost reductions have usually been ignored in CBA of Hib. Our analysis thus suggests that past BCAs are likely to have substantially underestimated the value of Hib vaccination, even though most have found it to be cost-beneficial. Unless future BCAs of childhood vaccinations take full account of benefits and costs, policy makers may lack sufficient information to make the right decisions on vaccination interventions.vaccination coverage, children, economics