Creating a Design Framework to Diagnose and Enhance Grassland Health under Pastoral Livestock Production Systems.

Grasslands and ecosystem services are under threat due to common practices adopted by modern livestock farming systems. Design theory has been an alternative to promote changes and develop more sustainable strategies that allow pastoral livestock production systems to evolve continually within grasslands by enhancing their health and enabling the continuous delivery of multiple ecosystem services. To create a design framework to design alternative and more sustainable pastoral livestock production systems, a better comprehension of grassland complexity and dynamism for a diagnostic assessment of its health is needed, from which the systems thinking theory could be an important approach. By using systems thinking theory, the key components of grasslands-soil, plant, ruminant-can be reviewed and better understood from a holistic perspective. The description of soil, plant and ruminant individually is already complex itself, so understanding these components, their interactions, their response to grazing management and herbivory and how they contribute to grassland health under different climatic and topographic conditions is paramount to designing more sustainable pastoral livestock production systems. Therefore, by taking a systems thinking approach, we aim to review the literature to better understand the role of soil, plant, and ruminant on grassland health to build a design framework to diagnose and enhance grassland health under pastoral livestock production systems.

ALLODUST augmented activated sludge single batch anaerobic reactor (AS-SBAnR) for high concentration nitrate removal from agricultural wastewater.

Nitrate is among the most widespread contaminants that threaten water bodies and waterways. Under favourable environmental conditions, high nitrate concentrations in water can contribute to eutrophication, thus presenting a high potential for risk to ecosystems and human health. Low-cost allophanic soil material and carbon-based bio-wastes have great potential to reduce nutrient concentrations from contaminated waters. This study investigated the mechanisms that underpin the reduction of nitrate concentrations and nitrous oxide (N2O) emission in the presence of novel developed media in an activated sludge process. A new operating approach, employing a newly developed media (ALLODUST), was evaluated for enhanced NO-3-N removal from agricultural wastewater. Two anaerobic-aerobic batch reactors were developed, where the coupled bottom aeration method was used for efficient agitation and aeration in the aerobic reactor. The reactor was run at high NO-3-N concentrations (110 mg L-1), under anoxic conditions at low- to long-term contact times (2, 12, and 22 h), while the aerobic period (clarification) was constant for all the experimental designs (2 h). ALLODUST retained its integrity and stability over the long-term operation. Low ALLODUST concentrations (5.95 g L-1) removed 87% of the NO-3-N from the wastewater within 12 h. Further exploration revealed that the same amount of the media was optimal for decreasing N2O emissions from the anaerobic activated sludge reactor by 80%.

S.M.A.R.T. mothers are resisting tobacco: prenatal smoking cessation in WIC mothers.

This article presents outcomes of the Smart Mothers Are Resisting Tobacco (S.M.A.R.T. Moms) project, a "5 A's"-based, best-practices intervention for prenatal smoking cessation targeting primarily pregnant WIC patients in Tennessee. Evidence-based training using "5 A's" materials were provided to health care providers. Providers in turn counseled patients on smoking cessation and provided individual cessation treatment plans with educational information and materials. At the conclusion of the 4-year project, 13,285 patients had received counseling and smoking cessation resources through the project. The overall success rate for participants who received counseling and agreed to use the self-help guide was 24.2% vs 20.9% for those who did not choose to use the self-help guide but did receive counseling, exceeding success rates previously found in similar settings. The outcomes of this project support research that even brief tobacco cessation counseling (5 to 15 min), delivered by trained providers and coupled with pregnancy-specific self-help materials, can increase cessation rates in women during pregnancy. Outcomes from this project also support that, when provided with adequate training and pregnancy-specific self-help materials, health care providers will more consistently counsel patients on smoking cessation during pregnancy.

Correlation between prior exercise and present health and fitness status of entering medical students.

Four hundred forty-one students were tested for strength, agility, flexibility, and endurance as well as for body fat, heart rate, and blood pressure. Questionnaires estimated prior exercise, sleep, diet, and leisure habits. Students were more fit than published norms. Their reported prior exercise habits correlated positively with estimated VO2max. Positive results of endurance tests correlated with better eating habits and lower blood pressure. Strong correlation existed between reported exercise and lower body fat, heart rate, and diastolic blood pressure. Blood pressure was in the hypertensive range in 57 individuals, and high blood pressure correlated with higher body weight, percent body fat, and resting heart rate. The authors concluded that most incoming medical students are fit and physically active. Positive correlations exist between prior exercise habits, performance on fitness tests, and indicators of reduced health risks. There was high correlation between risk factors for heart disease and measured blood pressure.