Maternal and paternal support for physical activity and healthy eating in preschool children: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND Parental support is a key influence on children's health behaviours; however, no previous investigation has simultaneously explored the influence of mothers' and fathers' social support on eating and physical activity in preschool-aged children. This study evaluated the singular and combined effects of maternal and paternal support for physical activity (PA) and fruit and vegetable consumption (FV) on preschoolers' PA and FV. METHODS A random sample comprising 173 parent-child dyads completed validated scales assessing maternal and paternal instrumental support and child PA and FV behaviour. Pearson correlations, controlling for child age, parental age, and parental education, were used to evaluate relationships between maternal and paternal support and child PA and FV. K-means cluster analysis was used to identify families with distinct patterns of maternal and paternal support for PA and FV, and one-way ANOVA examined the impact of cluster membership on child PA and FV. RESULTS Maternal and paternal support for PA were positively associated with child PA (r = 0.37 and r = 0.36, respectively; P < 0.001). Maternal but not paternal support for FV was positively associated with child FV (r = 0.35; P < 0.001). Five clusters characterised groups of families with distinct configurations of maternal and paternal support for PA and FV: 1) above average maternal and paternal support for PA and FV, 2) below average maternal and paternal support for PA and FV, 3) above average maternal and paternal support for PA but below average maternal and paternal support for FV, 4) above average maternal and paternal support for FV but below average maternal and paternal support for PA, and 5) above average maternal support but below average paternal support for PA and FV. Children from families with above average maternal and paternal support for both health behaviours had higher PA and FV levels than children from families with above average support for just one health behaviour, or below average support for both behaviours. CONCLUSIONS The level and consistency of instrumental support from mothers and fathers for PA and FV may be an important target for obesity prevention in preschool-aged children.

Optimizing genotype by environment by management to maximize opportunities for maize productivity in North Eastern Australia.

The major objective of this experiment was to identify optimum plant population densities for different maize maturity groups depending on the environments’ potential and identify situations that reduce risk of crop failures while maximizing opportunities for better yield when weather conditions are good.

Intensity, productivity and efficiency in agriculture in Finland and implications for N and P fertiliser management

The purpose of this study was to evaluate intensity, productivity and efficiency in agriculture in Finland and show implications for N and P fertiliser management. Environmental concerns relating to agricultural production have been and still are focused on arguments about policies that affect agriculture. These policies constrain production while demand for agricultural products such as food, fibre and energy continuously increase. Therefore the importance of increasing productivity is a great challenge to agriculture. Over the last decades producers have experienced several large changes in the production environment such as the policy reform when Finland joined the EU 1995. Other and market changes occurred with the further EU enlargement with neighbouring countries in 2005 and with the decoupling of supports over the 2006-2007 period. Decreasing prices a decreased number of farmers and decreased profitability in agricultural production have resulted from these changes and constraints and of technological development. It is known that the accession to the EU 1995 would herald changes in agriculture. Especially of interest was how the sudden changes in prices of commodities on especially those of cereals, decreased by 60%, would influence agricultural production. The knowledge of properties of the production function increased in importance as a consequence of price changes. A research on the economic instruments to regulate productions was carried out and combined with earlier studies in paper V. In paper I the objective was to compare two different technologies, the conventional farming and the organic farming, determine differences in productivity and technical efficiency. In addition input specific or environmental efficiencies were analysed. The heterogeneity of agricultural soils and its implications were analysed in article II. In study III the determinants of technical inefficiency were analysed. The aspects and possible effects of the instability in policies due to a partial decoupling of production factors and products were studied in paper IV. Consequently connection between technical efficiency based on the turnover and the sales return was analysed in this study. Simple economic instruments such as fertiliser taxes have a direct effect on fertiliser consumption and indirectly increase the value of organic fertilisers. However, fertiliser taxes, do not fully address the N and P management problems adequately and are therefore not suitable for nutrient management improvements in general. Productivity of organic farms is lower on average than conventional farms and the difference increases when looking at selling returns only. The organic sector needs more research and development on productivity. Livestock density in organic farming increases productivity, however, there is an upper limit to livestock densities on organic farms and therefore nutrient on organic farms are also limited. Soil factors affects phosphorous and nitrogen efficiency. Soils like sand and silt have lower input specific overall efficiency for nutrients N and P. Special attention is needed for the management on these soils. Clay soils and soils with moderate clay content have higher efficiency. Soil heterogeneity is cause for an unavoidable inefficiency in agriculture.

Water-use efficiency and productivity trends in Australian irrigated cotton: a review

The aim of this review is to report changes in irrigated cotton water use from research projects and on-farm practice-change programs in Australia, in relation to both plant-based and irrigation engineering disciplines. At least 80% of the Australian cotton-growing area is irrigated using gravity surface-irrigation systems. This review found that, over 23 years, cotton crops utilise 6-7ML/ha of irrigation water, depending on the amount of seasonal rain received. The seasonal evapotranspiration of surface-irrigated crops averaged 729mm over this period. Over the past decade, water-use productivity by Australian cotton growers has improved by 40%. This has been achieved by both yield increases and more efficient water-management systems. The whole-farm irrigation efficiency index improved from 57% to 70%, and the crop water use index is >3kg/mm.ha, high by international standards. Yield increases over the last decade can be attributed to plant-breeding advances, the adoption of genetically modified varieties, and improved crop management. Also, there has been increased use of irrigation scheduling tools and furrow-irrigation system optimisation evaluations. This has reduced in-field deep-drainage losses. The largest loss component of the farm water balance on cotton farms is evaporation from on-farm water storages. Some farmers are changing to alternative systems such as centre pivots and lateral-move machines, and increasing numbers of these alternatives are expected. These systems can achieve considerable labour and water savings, but have significantly higher energy costs associated with water pumping and machine operation. The optimisation of interactions between water, soils, labour, carbon emissions and energy efficiency requires more research and on-farm evaluations. Standardisation of water-use efficiency measures and improved water measurement techniques for surface irrigation are important research outcomes to enable valid irrigation benchmarks to be established and compared. Water-use performance is highly variable between cotton farmers and farming fields and across regions. Therefore, site-specific measurement is important. The range in the presented datasets indicates potential for further improvement in water-use efficiency and productivity on Australian cotton farms.

The Productivity of Strawberry Plants Growing Under Plastic High Tunnels in a Wet Subtropical Environment

The effect of plastic high tunnels on the performance of two strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa) cultivars (Festival and Rubygem) and two breeding lines was studied in southeastern Queensland, Australia, over 2 years. Production in this area is affected by rain, with direct damage to the fruit and the development of fruit disease before harvest. The main objective of the study was to determine whether plants growing under tunnels had less rain damage, a lower incidence of disease, and higher yields than plants growing outdoors. Plants growing under the tunnels or outdoors had at best only small differences in leaf, crown, root, and flower and immature fruit dry weight. These responses were associated with relatively similar temperatures and relative humidities in the two growing environments. Marketable yields were 38% higher under the tunnels compared with yields outdoors in year 1, and 24% higher in year 2, mainly due to less rain damage. There were only small differences in the incidences of grey mold (Botrytis cinerea) and small and misshaped fruit in the plants growing under the tunnels and outdoors. There were also only small differences in postharvest quality, total soluble solids, and titratable acidity between the two environments. These results highlight the potential of plastic high tunnels for strawberry plants growing in subtropical areas that receive significant rainfall during the production season.

The growth and productivity of ‘Festival’ strawberry plants growing in a subtropical environment

Experiments were conducted over 5 years to understand the seasonal phenology of bare-rooted ?Festival? strawberry plants (Fragaria ?ananassa) growing at Nambour in southeastern Queensland, Australia. Yields ranged from 661 to 966 g/plant, and average seasonal fruit fresh weight ranged from 15 to 18 g. The growth of the leaves, crowns, roots, flowers and fruit over time followed a linear or sigmoid pattern. Maximum values of leaf, crown and root dry weight towards the end of the growing season about 190 days after planting were 30, 15 and 7 g/plant, respectively. The rates of leaf and crown growth were lower than those achieved in California under a Mediterranean climate. There were strong relationships between the allocation of dry matter to the leaves, crowns and roots and plant dry weight. Allocation to the leaves, and especially to the crowns and roots, declined as the plants grew. The number of fruit/plant increased initially over time with a decline later in the season. Average fruit fresh weight was generally higher early in the season and then declined as fruit production increased. There were strong relationships between the growth of the whole plant and the growth of the flowers and immature fruit, and leaf expansion, across the growing season and across the 5 different years. These results indicate that seasonal growth and potential productivity were strongly linked to the expansion of the leaves in this environment.

Influence of tillage, cover cropping, and herbicides on weeds and productivity of dry direct-seeded rice

The adoption of dry direct seeding of rice in many Asian countries has resulted in increased interest among weed scientists to improve weed management strategies, because of the large and complex weed flora associated with dry-seeded rice (DSR). Tillage and cover cropping practices can be integrated into weed management strategies as these have been known to affect weed emergence for several ecological reasons. A study was conducted in the summer seasons of 2012 and 2013 at the Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, India, to evaluate the effects of tillage, cover cropping, and herbicides on weed growth and grain yield of DSR. Most of the weed species (Echinochloa crus-galli, Echinochloa colona, Eleusine indica, and Euphorbia hirta) under study tended to populate the cover crop (CC) treatment more than the no-cover crop (no-CC) treatment. Zero tillage (ZT) resulted in higher weed densities of most of the weed species studied. The interaction effects of these treatments suggest that lesser herbicide efficacy in ZT and CC plots led to higher weed pressure and weed biomass. Grain yield was significantly higher in the conventional tillage system (2.40–3.32 t ha−1), because of lesser weed pressure, than in ZT (2.08–2.73 t ha−1). Almost all weed species increased in number and biomass production in the second year (2013) compared with the preceding year. Herbicide application (pendimethalin followed by bispyribac-sodium) alone, though significantly increased DSR grain yield over that of the unsprayed check, resulted in lesser grain yield compared with the weed-free check (5.07–5.12 t ha−1) by 14% and 27% in 2012 and 2013, respectively. This was mainly due to the buildup of biomass by weeds that escaped from herbicide application. The study reveals that conservation practices such as ZT can form an important component of integrated weed management in DSR, provided that herbicide efficacy be improved by adjusting rate and time of herbicide application in such systems.

A comparison of welfare outcomes for weaner and mature Bos indicus bulls surgically or tension band castrated with or without analgesia: 2. Responses related to stress, health and productivity

Tension banding castration of cattle is gaining favour because it is relatively simple to perform and is promoted by retailers of the banders as a humane castration method. Two experiments were conducted, under tropical conditions using Bos indicus bulls comparing tension banding (Band) and surgical (Surgical) castration of weaner (7–10 months old) and mature (22–25 months old) bulls with and without pain management (NSAID (ketoprofen) or saline injected intramuscularly immediately prior to castration). Welfare outcomes were assessed using a range of measures; this paper reports on some physiological, morbidity and productivity-related responses to augment the behavioural responses reported in an accompanying paper. Blood samples were taken on the day of castration (day 0) at the time of restraint (0 min) and 30 min (weaners) or 40 min (mature bulls), 2 h, and 7 h; and days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, 21 and 28 post-castration. Plasmas from day 0 were assayed for cortisol, creatine kinase, total protein and packed cell volume. Plasmas from the other samples were assayed for cortisol and haptoglobin (plus the 0 min sample). Liveweights were recorded approximately weekly to 6 weeks and at 2 and 3 months post-castration. Castration sites were checked at these same times to 2 months post-castration to score the extent of healing and presence of sepsis. Cortisol concentrations (mean ± s.e. nmol/L) were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in the Band (67 ± 4.5) compared with Surgical weaners (42 ± 4.5) at 2 h post-castration, but at 24 h post-castration were greater in the Surgical (43 ± 3.2) compared with the Band weaners (30 ± 3.2). The main effect of ketoprofen was on the cortisol concentrations of the mature Surgical bulls; concentrations were significantly reduced at 40 min (47 ± 7.2 vs. 71 ± 7.2 nmol/L for saline) and 2 h post-castration (24 ± 7.2, vs. 87 ± 7.2 nmol/L for saline). Ketoprofen, however, had no effect on the Band mature bulls, with their cortisol concentrations averaging 54 ± 5.1 nmol/L at 40 min and 92 ± 5.1 nmol/L at 2 h. Cortisol concentrations were also significantly elevated in the Band (83 ± 3.0 nmol/L) compared with Surgical mature bulls (57 ± 3.0 nmol/L) at weeks 2–4 post-castration. The timing of this elevation coincided with significantly elevated haptoglobin concentrations (mg/mL) in the Band bulls (2.97 ± 0.102 for mature bulls and 1.71 ± 0.025 for weaners, vs. 2.10 ± 0.102 and 1.45 ± 0.025 respectively for the Surgical treatment) and evidence of slow wound healing and sepsis in both the weaner (0.81 ± 0.089 not healed at week 4 for Band, 0.13 ± 0.078 for Surgical) and mature bulls (0.81 ± 0.090 at week 4 for Band, 0.38 ± 0.104 for Surgical). Overall, liveweight gains of both age groups were not affected by castration method. The findings of acute pain, chronic inflammation and possibly chronic pain in the mature bulls at least, together with poor wound healing in the Band bulls support behavioural findings reported in the accompanying paper and demonstrate that tension banding produces inferior welfare outcomes for weaner and mature bulls compared with surgical castration.

Personal health records as sources of productivity evidence

Capturing data from various data repositories and integrating them for productivity improvements is common in modern business organisations. With the well-accepted concept of achieving positive gains through investment in employee health and wellness, organisations have started to capture both employee health and non-health data as Employer Sponsored electronic Personal Health Records (ESPHRs). However, non-health related data in ESPHRs has hardly been taken into consideration with outcomes such as employee productivity potentially being suited for further validation and stimulation of ESPHR usage. Here we analyse selected employee demographic information (age, gender, marital status, and job grade) and health-related outcomes (absenteeism and presenteeism) of employees for evidence-based decision making. Our study considered demographic and health-related outcomes of 700 employees. Surprisingly, the analysis shows that employees with high sick leave rates are also high performers. A factor analysis shows 92% of the variance in the data can be explained by three factors, with the job grade capable of explaining 62% of the variance. Work responsibilities may drive employees to maintain high work performance despite signs of sickness, so ESPHRs should focus attention on high performers. This finding suggests new ways of extracting value from ESPHRs to support organisational health and wellness management to help assure sustainability in organisational productivity.

Perceived maternal psychological control and school adjustment in Chinese adolescents: Associations, mediations and moderations

This study aimed to examine the complicated process involved in the influence of parental psychological control on academic self-concept and academic performance in Chinese adolescents. The study considered possible mediating and moderating factors that might influence the relationships of interest. Findings of this study suggested that perceived maternal psychological control was related to adolescents' academic self-concept, and the relationship was mediated by adolescents' satisfaction on basic psychological needs. No statistically significant association was found between perceived maternal psychological control and adolescents' academic performance, instead, the relationship was moderated by adolescent age.

Increasing the productivity of avocado orchards using high-density plantings: A review

There is strong interest in the use of high-density plantings to increase the productivity of avocado (Persea americana) orchards. Close plantings have the potential for higher yields and returns than standard or traditional plantings, especially in the early years of production. The success of this technology is dependent on the use of methods to control shoot growth and maximise light interception as the trees begin to bear fruit. We reviewed the performance of high-density orchards in different environments, and the success of efforts to control the growth of the trees through the use of dwarfing material, canopy management and growth regulators. Close plantings generally produce higher yields in the first few years of bearing compared with the yields of standard plantings. However, in most growing areas, the trees in the close plantings soon begin to crowd each other and yields decline. This usually occurs despite efforts to control shoot growth by pruning the trees or by applying growth regulators. Efforts to breed dwarfing rootstocks that can control the growth of mature trees have been largely unsuccessful. In the absence of dwarfing material, effective canopy management appears to be the largest barrier to success of high-density orchards. Further research on the use of different pruning strategies and growth regulators to control the growth of the trees and maximise light interception is required. There are potential problems with some of the growth regulators persisting in the harvested fruit and soil under certain circumstances.

Boosting the productivity and profitability of northern Australian beef enterprises: Exploring innovation options using simulation modelling and systems analysis

The financial health of beef cattle enterprises in northern Australia has declined markedly over the last decade due to an escalation in production and marketing costs and a real decline in beef prices. Historically, gains in animal productivity have offset the effect of declining terms of trade on farm incomes. This raises the question of whether future productivity improvements can remain a key path for lifting enterprise profitability sufficient to ensure that the industry remains economically viable over the longer term. The key objective of this study was to assess the production and financial implications for north Australian beef enterprises of a range of technology interventions (development scenarios), including genetic gain in cattle, nutrient supplementation, and alteration of the feed base through introduced pastures and forage crops, across a variety of natural environments. To achieve this objective a beef systems model was developed that is capable of simulating livestock production at the enterprise level, including reproduction, growth and mortality, based on energy and protein supply from natural C4 pastures that are subject to high inter-annual climate variability. Comparisons between simulation outputs and enterprise performance data in three case study regions suggested that the simulation model (the Northern Australia Beef Systems Analyser) can adequately represent the performance beef cattle enterprises in northern Australia. Testing of a range of development scenarios suggested that the application of individual technologies can substantially lift productivity and profitability, especially where the entire feedbase was altered through legume augmentation. The simultaneous implementation of multiple technologies that provide benefits to different aspects of animal productivity resulted in the greatest increases in cattle productivity and enterprise profitability, with projected weaning rates increasing by 25%, liveweight gain by 40% and net profit by 150% above current baseline levels, although gains of this magnitude might not necessarily be realised in practice. While there were slight increases in total methane output from these development scenarios, the methane emissions per kg of beef produced were reduced by 20% in scenarios with higher productivity gain. Combinations of technologies or innovative practices applied in a systematic and integrated fashion thus offer scope for providing the productivity and profitability gains necessary to maintain viable beef enterprises in northern Australia into the future.

Transfer of Dietary Plant Natural Flavor Compounds From Essential Oils to Maternal Fluids in Pigs

Fetal flavor conditioning during the perinatal stage could be essential at the time of the weaning to reduce the stress and improve the feed intake in pigs. The transfer of flavor compounds from maternal diet to amniotic fluid and milk has been shown in behavioral experiments, but not through analytical procedures such as gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The aim of the experiment was to trace the principal essential oils compounds supplied in the diet in maternal fluids. Twenty Large White sows around their 104th gestational day were allocated to individual farrowing crates. Two groups of 10 sows were fed either a standard gestation diet or the same diet supplemented with a mix of 8 essential oils at a rate of 1kg/ton during the last 10 days of gestation. At approximately the 113th gestational day, animals were individually treated with 10mg of Lutalyse IM was to induce farrowing. Fresh amniotic fluid was collected during the farrowing in 100-mL glass bottles and immediately stored at −20 °C freezer. During the second lactation day, 10–20 IU of Oxytocin IM was administered to each sow to facilitate collection of milk samples in 20-mL glass bottles. The samples were stored at −20 °C until analyzed by GC–MS. The presence of significant amounts of principal components of all the essential oils except one were found in the milk and amniotic fluid samples of the treated sows relative to the control sows. Our data prove the transfer of selected dietary flavors to maternal fluids and sets the scenario for further trials to manipulate postweaning behavior in piglets.

Sugarcane productivity response to different fallow and soybean residue management practices in the Bundaberg district

GRAIN LEGUME ROTATIONS underpin the sustainability of the Australian sugarcane farming system, offering a number of soil health and environmental benefits. Recent studies have highlighted the potential for these breaks to exacerbate nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. An experiment was implemented in 2012 to evaluate the impact of two fallow management options (bare fallow and soybean break crop) and different soybean residue management practices on N2O emissions and sugarcane productivity. The bare fallow plots were conventionally tilled, whereas the soybean treatments were either tilled, not tilled, residue sprayed with nitrification inhibitor (DMPP) prior to tillage or had a triticale ‘catch crop’ sown between the soybean and sugarcane crops. The fallow plots received either no nitrogen (N0) or fully fertilised (N145) whereas the soybean treatments received 25 kg N/ha at planting only. The Fallow N145 treatment yielded 8% more cane than the soybean tilled treatment. However there was no statistical difference in sugar productivity. Cane yield was correlated with stalk number that was correlated to soil mineral nitrogen status in January. There was only 30% more N/ha in the above-ground biomass between the Fallow N145 and the Fallow N0 treatment; highlighting poor fertiliser nitrogen use efficiency. Supplying adequate nitrogen to meet productivity requirements without causing environmental harm remains a challenge for the Australian sugar industry. The soybean direct drill treatment significantly reduced N2O emissions and produced similar yields and profitability to the soybean tilled treatment (outlined in a companion paper by Wang et.al. in these proceedings). Furthermore, this study has highlighted that the soybean direct drill technique provides an opportunity to enable grain legume cropping in the sugarcane farming system to capture all of the soil health/environmental benefits without exacerbating N2O emissions from Australian sugarcane soils.