The First 1,000 Days: Nourishing America's Future

The problem of poor nutrition is pervasive throughout the U.S. Too many American women and young children suffer from high rates of obesity, food insecurity, unhealthy diets, and low rates of breastfeeding. In order to illuminate the challenge of malnutrition in the United States and galvanize a movement to ensure that every child has a healthy start to life, 1,000 Days – with support from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the David and Lucile Packard Foundation – launched a first-of-its-kind report on the nutritional health of America's mothers, babies and toddlers

Models of natural pest control : Towards predictions across agricultural landscapes

Natural control of invertebrate crop pests has the potential to complement or replace conventional insecticide based practices, but its mainstream application is hampered by predictive unreliability across agroecosystems. Inconsistent responses of natural pest control to changes in landscape characteristics have been attributed to ecological complexity and system-specific conditions. Here, we review agroecological models and their potential to provide predictions of natural pest control across agricultural landscapes. Existing models have used a multitude of techniques to represent specific crop-pest-enemy systems at various spatiotemporal scales, but less wealthy regions of the world are underrepresented. A realistic representation of natural pest control across systems appears to be hindered by a practical trade-off between generality and realism. Nonetheless, observations of context-sensitive, trait-mediated responses of natural pest control to land-use gradients indicate the potential of ecological models that explicitly represent the underlying mechanisms. We conclude that modelling natural pest control across agroecosystems should exploit existing mechanistic techniques towards a framework of contextually bound generalizations. Observed similarities in causal relationships can inform the functional grouping of diverse agroecosystems worldwide and the development of the respective models based on general, but context-sensitive, ecological mechanisms. The combined use of qualitative and quantitative techniques should allow the flexible integration of empirical evidence and ecological theory for robust predictions of natural pest control across a wide range of agroecological contexts and levels of knowledge availability. We highlight challenges and promising directions towards developing such a general modelling framework.Peer reviewe

Multiple novel prostate cancer susceptibility signals identified by fine-mapping of known risk loci among Europeans

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified numerous common prostate cancer (PrCa) susceptibility loci. We have fine-mapped 64 GWAS regions known at the conclusion of the iCOGS study using large-scale genotyping and imputation in 25 723 PrCa cases and 26 274 controls of European ancestry. We detected evidence for multiple independent signals at 16 regions, 12 of which contained additional newly identified significant associations. A single signal comprising a spectrum of correlated variation was observed at 39 regions; 35 of which are now described by a novel more significantly associated lead SNP, while the originally reported variant remained as the lead SNP only in 4 regions. We also confirmed two association signals in Europeans that had been previously reported only in East-Asian GWAS. Based on statistical evidence and linkage disequilibrium (LD) structure, we have curated and narrowed down the list of the most likely candidate causal variants for each region. Functional annotation using data from ENCODE filtered for PrCa cell lines and eQTL analysis demonstrated significant enrichment for overlap with bio-features within this set. By incorporating the novel risk variants identified here alongside the refined data for existing association signals, we estimate that these loci now explain ∼38.9% of the familial relative risk of PrCa, an 8.9% improvement over the previously reported GWAS tag SNPs. This suggests that a significant fraction of the heritability of PrCa may have been hidden during the discovery phase of GWAS, in particular due to the presence of multiple independent signals within the same regio

Safety and efficacy of fluoxetine on functional outcome after acute stroke (AFFINITY): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Background Trials of fluoxetine for recovery after stroke report conflicting results. The Assessment oF FluoxetINe In sTroke recoverY (AFFINITY) trial aimed to show if daily oral fluoxetine for 6 months after stroke improves functional outcome in an ethnically diverse population. Methods AFFINITY was a randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial done in 43 hospital stroke units in Australia (n=29), New Zealand (four), and Vietnam (ten). Eligible patients were adults (aged ≥18 years) with a clinical diagnosis of acute stroke in the previous 2–15 days, brain imaging consistent with ischaemic or haemorrhagic stroke, and a persisting neurological deficit that produced a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or more. Patients were randomly assigned 1:1 via a web-based system using a minimisation algorithm to once daily, oral fluoxetine 20 mg capsules or matching placebo for 6 months. Patients, carers, investigators, and outcome assessors were masked to the treatment allocation. The primary outcome was functional status, measured by the mRS, at 6 months. The primary analysis was an ordinal logistic regression of the mRS at 6 months, adjusted for minimisation variables. Primary and safety analyses were done according to the patient's treatment allocation. The trial is registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12611000774921. Findings Between Jan 11, 2013, and June 30, 2019, 1280 patients were recruited in Australia (n=532), New Zealand (n=42), and Vietnam (n=706), of whom 642 were randomly assigned to fluoxetine and 638 were randomly assigned to placebo. Mean duration of trial treatment was 167 days (SD 48·1). At 6 months, mRS data were available in 624 (97%) patients in the fluoxetine group and 632 (99%) in the placebo group. The distribution of mRS categories was similar in the fluoxetine and placebo groups (adjusted common odds ratio 0·94, 95% CI 0·76–1·15; p=0·53). Compared with patients in the placebo group, patients in the fluoxetine group had more falls (20 [3%] vs seven [1%]; p=0·018), bone fractures (19 [3%] vs six [1%]; p=0·014), and epileptic seizures (ten [2%] vs two [<1%]; p=0·038) at 6 months. Interpretation Oral fluoxetine 20 mg daily for 6 months after acute stroke did not improve functional outcome and increased the risk of falls, bone fractures, and epileptic seizures. These results do not support the use of fluoxetine to improve functional outcome after stroke

Linking Habitat Diversity With Spatial Ecology For Agricultural Pest Management

Diverse agricultural landscapes have been shown to support many ecosystem services including clean water, species conservation, and carbon sequestration. However, far less is known about the role of diverse agricultural landscapes in agricultural pest control. This research investigated how diverse agricultural landscapes affect insect pest dynamics and evolution. A comprehensive literature review of this subject revealed that direct effects of landscape diversity on insect pest control have been largely ignored. Nevertheless, increases in pest mortality and decreases in fecundity are likely with increasing landscape diversification. Field surveys of insect populations in agricultural landscapes of varying complexity across New York further illuminated landscape-insect relationships. Surveys showed that populations of insect pests in field corn were generally lower and that natural enemy populations were generally higher as agricultural landscapes increased in their diversity. Spatially-explicit modeling further explored landscape-insect relationships and considered pests with varied life histories and the influence of crop rotation and economic thresholds. Model results suggested that insect diet breadth and regional crop management play pivotal roles in landscape-insect relationships. Furthermore, pest management may be more intense in highly agricultural than in diverse landscapes, which may reduce apparent pest control benefits of landscape diversification. Finally, the role of diverse landscapes in slowing the evolution of insect resistance to Bt crops was explored. A detailed study of the European corn borer’s host utilization, fecundity, and U.S. distribution indicated that diverse agricultural landscapes are not likely to substantively slow the evolution of resistance to Bt corn for this pest. Together, this research supports pest control as an important ecosystem service of diverse agricultural landscapes. Additionally, it highlights the roles that insect life history and regional pest management play in shaping landscapeinsect relationships

Carabid beetle communities and invertebrate weed seed predation in conventional and diversified crop rotation systems in Iowa

Crop rotations affect the nutrient inputs, pesticide inputs, and tillage regime required to maintain desirable yields. However, little is known about how crop rotations affect invertebrate natural enemy communities and consequent levels of pest biological control. In this thesis, we examined how a conventional corn/soybean rotation compared to a low-external-input corn/soybean/triticale-alfalfa/alfalfa rotation affected carabid beetle communities and invertebrate predation of giant foxtail (Setaria faberi) weed seeds. We hypothesized that reduced herbicide and fertilizer in the four-year compared with the two-year corn and soybean would result in a greater abundance and diversity of carabid beetles and other invertebrate weed seed predators. We further hypothesized that the triticale-alfalfa and alfalfa phases of the four-year rotation would benefit carabids and other ground-dwelling, granivorous invertebrates because those crops also require few chemical inputs, provide plant cover for extended periods increased soil disturbance necessary to control weeds in four-year corn and soybean. In concurrence with our original hypothesis, the addition of triticale-alfalfa and alfalfa to a rotation did increase the number of carabid species caught within the four-year rotation. However, these additional species were typically only encountered once or a few times during the growing season. In addition to answering our original hypotheses about crop rotations, this thesis has also determined other interesting information about invertebrate weed seed predation. Crickets, especially Gryllus pennsylvanicus, were determined to be the main invertebrate weed seed predators in this study. Invertebrate seed predation was low or non-significant through July and early August and sharply increased to levels as high as 100% late August until frost. Invertebrate predation of giant foxtail was significantly higher in corn and soybean compared to triticale-alfalfa and alfalfa treatments. Laboratory feeding assays revealed that weed seed preferences differ between invertebrate predators and may be affected by the presence of alternative invertebrate prey.</p

High Tunnels for Local Food Systems: Subsidies, Equity, and Profitability

High tunnels are expanding opportunities to increase local food production in the midst of a globalized food system. They can overcome biophysical growing constraints by buffering temperatures to extend the growing season and shelter crops from extreme weather events. In 2010, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) began subsidizing the purchase of high tunnels. However, many questions remain about the factors influencing participation in the program and its impacts. Using mixed-methods research, this paper assesses the biophysical, market, and socio-demographic factors influencing NRCS high tunnel adoption in the U.S. and examines how food production in high tunnels affects farmers, consumers, and the local food movement. Results show that the number of NRCS high tunnels per county increased in relation to a mixture of biophysical (high latitude, proximity to the coast, small average farm size, and high percent of farmland in vegetable production), market (high direct-to-consumer sales, good access to grocery stores, and high median household income), and socio-demographic (high percentage of nonwhite population, metropolitan counties with more than 250,000 people, and adjacent urban counties with fewer than 20,000 people) factors. According to our survey of Virginia high tunnel growers, high tunnel produce is largely sold locally (within 50 miles or 80 km of production) and marketed direct-to-consumers in Virginia. Many growers in Virginia who would not have purchased a high tunnel without NRCS support plan to purchase additional high tunnels in the future even without a subsidy. High tunnels are an emerging part of the U.S. local food movement, but work remains to ensure that their benefits reach all sectors of U.S. society

Managing resistance to Bt crops in a genetically variable insect herbivore, Ostrinia nubilalis

To slow the resistance evolution of the European corn borer (ECB) to Cry proteins expressed in transgenic Bacillus thuringensis (Bt) corn, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has adopted an insect resistance management (IRM) plan that relies on a “high dose/refuge” strategy. However, this IRM plan does not consider possible ecological differences between the two ECB pheromone races (E and Z). Using carbon isotope analysis, we found that unstructured (non-corn) refuges contribute more to E race (18%) than to Z race (4%) populations of ECB in upstate New York (USA). Furthermore, feeding on non-corn hosts is associated with decreased body mass and reduced fecundity. We also show that the geographic range of E-race ECB is restricted within the range of the Z race and that E-race ECB are increasingly dominant in regions with increasing non-corn habitat. While the proportion of E-race ECB developing in unstructured refuges is higher than previously assumed, low rates of unstructured refuge use by the Z race, evidence for reduced fecundity when reared on non-corn hosts, and complete sympatry within the E race range all argue against a relaxation of current IRM refuge standards in corn based on alternative-host use. We also discuss implications of this research for integrated pest management in vegetables and IRM in Bt cotton. This article is from Ecological Apllications 20 (2010): 1228, doi:10.1890/09-0067.1</p

Opportunities for health promotion in the Queensland women's prison system

Objective: To compare the health of Queensland women prisoners with that of community women using the target areas of public health promotion identified by Health Determinants Queensland as a framework. Methods: Data from the Queensland Women Prisoners' Health Survey was compared with published community data in each of the target areas. Results: Queensland women prisoners had poorer nutrition, did less exercise, had higher rates of smoking and had a greater prevalence of asthma and diabetes than women in the community. They seemed to have a greater prevalence of mental health disorders. Conclusions: Within the framework, women prisoners had significantly poorer measured outcomes than community women in all areas except cervical screening, breast cancer screening and overweight and obesity. Implications: The Health Determinants Queensland target areas for Queensland women are of even greater priority in the subgroup of women prisoners. Benefits for the health of prisoners, and therefore the community, could be gained by expanding existing community health promotion activities to prisons through collaboration and partnerships