In planned missingness (PM) designs, certain data are set a priori to be missing. PM designs can increase validity and reduce cost; however, little is known about the loss of efficiency that accompanies these designs. The present paper compares PM designs to reduced sample (RN) designs that have the same total number of data points concentrated in fewer participants. In 4 studies, we consider models for both observed and latent variables, designs that do or do not include an “X set” of variables with complete data, and a full range of between- and within-set correlation values. All results are obtained using asymptotic relative efficiency formulas, and thus no data are generated; this novel approach allows us to examine whether PM designs have theoretical advantages over RN designs removing the impact of sampling error. Our primary findings are that (a) in manifest variable regression models, estimates of regression coefficients have much lower relative efficiency in PM designs as compared to RN designs, (b) relative efficiency of factor correlation or latent regression coefficient estimates is maximized when the indicators of each latent variable come from different sets, and (c) the addition of an X set improves efficiency in manifest variable regression models only for the parameters that directly involve the X-set variables, but it substantially improves efficiency of most parameters in latent variable models. We conclude that PM designs can be beneficial when the model of interest is a latent variable model; recommendations are made for how to optimize such a design.

Background: Care for patients with compression neuropathies (carpal tunnel syndrome, ulnar neuropathy) is often fragmented, uncoordinated, and slow. Patients go through multiple steps (neurology consultation, nerve testing, ultrasound, splints, injection, surgical opinion, surgery) with waits between each step. We used a Value-Based Health Care (VBHC) model to develop a multidisciplinary clinic with a novel care pathway. Methods: A Shared Care initiative supported the development of an Integrated Practice Unit (IPU). Key multidisciplinary team members were identified. Participants attended a curated three part VBHC workshop. Process mapping enabled identification of efficiencies. Results: 14 team members participated in the workshops. Condition specific outcome measures were identified (Boston CTS measure, 10-point touch, MRC strength and pain scale) and will be collected longitudinally. Criteria and clinical pathways were developed for mild, moderate, and severe carpal tunnel syndrome. Resource materials for patients and providers were developed. Conclusions: A VBHC framework supported development of a novel clinic for compression neuropathy. Responsibility for the full cycle of care rests with the IPU. Systematically tracking functional outcome measures enables quality improvement. By streamlining the patient journey and substantially reducing wait times between steps, the new care pathway reduces complexity and improve outcomes. Evaluation of impact if this new clinical model is ongoing.

Despite becoming increasingly represented in academic departments, women scholars face a critical lack of support as they navigate demands pertaining to pregnancy, motherhood, and child caregiving. In addition, cultural norms surrounding how faculty and academic leaders discuss and talk about tenure, promotion, and career success have created pressure for women who wish to grow their family and care for their children, leading to questions about whether it is possible for these women to have a family and an academic career. This paper is a call to action for academia to build structures that support professors who are women as they navigate the complexities of pregnancy, the postpartum period, and the caregiving demands of their children. We specifically call on those of us in I-O psychology, management, and related departments to lead the way. In making this call, we first present the realistic, moral, and financial cases for why this issue needs to be at the forefront of discussions surrounding success in the academy. We then discuss how, in the U.S. and elsewhere, an absence of policies supporting women places two groups of academics—department heads (as the leaders of departments who have discretion outside of formal policies to make work better for women) and other faculty members (as potential allies both in the department and within our professional organizations)—in a critical position to enact support and change. We conclude with our boldest call—to make a cultural shift that shatters the assumption that having a family is not compatible with academic success. Combined, we seek to launch a discussion that leads directly to necessary and overdue changes in how women scholars are supported in academia.

Fed cattle profitability is determined by complicated dynamic processes of body growth, carcass development, and seasonal prices. A structural model is constructed to contend with all these dynamic processes to predict optimal market timing. Informed simulations are conducted and compared to those observed in the data, as well as to a previous model ignoring the evolution of carcass value. The results indicate that significant improvements to profitability are attainable with the new method. The results also indicate the opportunity cost of not accounting for carcass value, even with error, is more severe than when these dynamics are ignored.

Serpentinization of ultramafic rocks in the sea and on land leads to the generation of alkaline fluids rich in molecular hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) that favour the formation of carbonate mineralization, such as veins in the sub-seafloor, seafloor carbonate chimneys and terrestrial hyperalkaline spring deposits. Examples of this type of seawater–rock interaction and the formation of serpentinization-derived carbonates in a shallow-marine environment are scarce, and almost entirely lacking in the geological record. Here we present evidence for serpentinization-induced fluid seepage in shallow-marine sedimentary rocks from the Upper Cretaceous (upper Campanian to lower Maastrichtian) Qahlah Formation at Jebel Huwayyah, United Arab Emirates. The research object is a metre-scale structure (the Jebel Huwayyah Mound) formed of calcite-cemented sand grains, which formed a positive seafloor feature. The Jebel Huwayyah Mound contains numerous vertically orientated fluid conduits containing two main phases of calcite cement. We use C and O stable isotopes and elemental composition to reconstruct the fluids from which these cements precipitated and infer that the fluids consisted of variable mixtures of seawater and fluids derived from serpentinization of the underlying Semail Ophiolite. Based on their negative δ13C values, hardgrounds in the same section as the Jebel Huwayyah Mound may also have had a similar origin. The Jebel Huwayyah Mound shows that serpentinization of the Semail Ophiolite by seawater occurred very soon after obduction and marine transgression, a process that continued through to the Miocene, and, with interaction of meteoric water, up to the present day.

A breeding female’s perceived value is a complicated process and depends on a combination of expected production costs, reproductive success, and calf values. A conceptual asset value model based on female characteristics as signals and net implicit marginal value expectations is developed. A hedonic model based on sequentially sold individuals at multiple Mississippi auction locations is estimated by panel regression. Among other findings, pregnant females are discounted in proportion to abortion risk, which decreases toward birth. A follow-up cost/benefit analysis indicates producers are better off from at home pregnancy checking and selling only nonpregnant females or cow/calf pairs.

Introduction: Affecting roughly 1 in 5 pregnancies, early pregnancy loss is a common experience for reproductive-aged women. In Canada, most women do not establish care with an obstetrical provider until the second trimester of pregnancy. Consequently, pregnant patients experiencing symptoms of early pregnancy loss frequently access care in the emergency department (ED). The objective of this study was to describe the resource utilization and outcomes of women presenting to two Ontario EDs for early pregnancy loss or threatened early pregnancy loss. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnant (≤20 weeks), adult (≥18 years) women in two EDs (one community hospital with 110,000 annual ED visits; one academic hospital with 65,000 annual ED visits) between January 2010 and December 2017. Patients were identified by diagnostic codes indicating early pregnancy loss or threatened early pregnancy loss. Results: A total of 16,091 patients were included, with a mean (SD) age of 32.8 (5.6) years. Patients had a total of 22,410 ED visits for early pregnancy complications, accounting for 1.6% of the EDs’ combined visits during the study period. Threatened abortion (n = 11,265, 50.3%) was the most common ED diagnosis, followed by spontaneous abortion (n = 5,652, 25.2%), ectopic pregnancy (n = 3,242, 14.5%), missed abortion (n = 1,541, 6.9%), and other diagnoses (n = 710, 3.2%). 8,000 (44.8%) patients had a radiologist-interpreted ultrasound performed during the initial ED visit. Median (IQR) ED length of stay was 3.4 (2.3 to 5.1) hours. There were 4,561 (25.6%) return ED visits within 30 days, of which 2,317 (50.8%) occurred less than 24 hours of index visit, and 481 (10.6%) were for scheduled, next day ultrasound. The total number of hospital admissions was 1,793 (8.0%), and the majority were for ectopic pregnancy (n = 1,052, 58.7%). Of admitted patients, 1,320 (73.6%) underwent surgical interventions related to early pregnancy. There were 474 (10.4%) patients admitted to hospital during return ED visits. Conclusion: Pregnant patients experiencing symptoms of early pregnancy loss in the ED frequently had radiologist-interpreted US and low rates of hospital admission, yet had high rates of return ED visits. This study highlights the heavy reliance on Ontario EDs to care for patients experiencing complications of early pregnancy.

Introduction: Emergency Department (ED) utilization during pregnancy may be common, but data specific to universal healthcare systems like Canada are lacking, where pregnancy care is supposed to be standardized. The objective of this study was to quantify and characterize ED utilization among all Ontarian women who had a recognized pregnancy, including by trimester and within 42 days after pregnancy, and further stratified by pregnancy outcome. Methods: Utilizing provincial administrative health databases, this retrospective population-based cohort study included all recognized pregnancies in Ontario conceived between April 1, 2002 and March 31, 2017. Peri-pregnancy ED utilization was defined as any ED visit from 0-42 weeks’ gestation, or within 42 days after the end of pregnancy. Modified Poisson regression was used to generate relative risks (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the outcome of any peri-pregnancy ED utilization in association with maternal characteristics. Results: Peri-pregnancy ED utilization occurred among 1,075,991 of 2,728,236 recognized pregnancies (39.4%), including among 35.8% of livebirths, 47.3% of stillbirths, 73.7% of miscarriages, and 84.8% of threatened abortions. There were 22,802 (0.84%) ectopic pregnancies among all pregnancies in the cohort. ED utilization peaked in the first trimester and in the first week postpartum. A dose-response effect was seen in the number of peri-pregnancy ED visits in relation to certain maternal characteristics. Women residing in rural areas had an odds ratio (OR) of 3.44 (95% CI 3.39 to 3.49) for ≥ 3 ED visits, compared to those in urban areas. Women with 3-5 (OR 1.99 95% CI 1.97-2.01), 5-6 (OR 3.55, 95% CI 3.49 to 3.61), or ≥ 7 (OR 7.59, 95% CI 7.39 to 7.78) pre-pregnancy comorbidities were more likely to have ≥ 3 peri-pregnancy ED visits than those with 0-2 comorbidities. Of all recognized pregnancies in the cohort, only 106,989 (3.9%) had an injury-related ED visit. Conclusion: Peri-pregnancy ED utilization occurs in nearly 40% of pregnancies, notably in the first trimester and immediately postpartum. Efforts are needed to streamline rapid access to ambulatory obstetrical care during these peak periods, when women are vulnerable to either a miscarriage, or a complication after a livebirth.

This article examines an environmental experiment in northern Kenya that went badly amiss. Focusing on the introduction of an invasive plant, prosopis juliflora, it explores wider issues of scientific hegemony, political identity, and land conflicts. Two legal cases pitting a small pastoralist community against the Kenyan state are discussed, which reveal a new but generally unsuccessful strategy by indigenous groups of utilizing courts to address injustices. The research draws on ethnographic, archival, and visual materials collected over a thirty-five-year period to demonstrate the violence and impoverishment that can be associated with technical interventions aimed at “greening” the environment.

Concentrate inclusion levels in dairy cow diets are often adjusted so that the milk yield responses remain economic. While changes in concentrate level on performance is well known, their impact on other biological parameters, including immune function, is less well understood. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of concentrate inclusion level in a grass silage-based mixed ration on immune function. Following calving 63 (45 multiparous and 18 primiparous) Holstein Friesian dairy cows were allocated to one of three isonitrogenous diets for the first 70 days of lactation. Diets comprised of a mixture of concentrates and grass silage, with concentrates comprising either a low (30%, LC), medium (50%, MC) or high (70%, HC) proportion of the diet on a dry matter (DM) basis. Daily DM intakes, milk yields and BW were recorded, along with weekly body condition score, milk composition and vaginal mucus scores. Blood biochemistry was measured using a chemistry analyzer, neutrophil phagocytic and oxidative burst assessed using commercial kits and flow cytometry, and interferon-γ production evaluated by ELISA after whole blood stimulation. Over the study period cows on HC had a higher total DM intake, milk yield, fat yield, protein yield, fat+protein yield, protein content, mean BW and mean daily energy balance, and a lower BW loss than cows on MC, whose respective values were higher than cows on LC. Cows on HC and MC had a lower serum non-esterified fatty acid concentration than cows on LC (0.37, 0.37 and 0.50 mmol/l, respectively, P=0.005, SED=0.032), while cows on HC had a lower serum β-hydroxybutyrate concentration than cows on MC and LC (0.42, 0.55 and 0.55 mmol/l, respectively, P=0.002, SED=0.03). Concentrate inclusion level had no effect on vaginal mucus scores. At week 3 postpartum, cows on HC tended to have a higher percentage of oxidative burst positive neutrophils than cows on LC (43.2% and 35.3%, respectively, P=0.078, SED=3.11), although at all other times concentrate inclusion level in the total mixed ration had no effect on neutrophil phagocytic or oxidative burst characteristics, or on interferon-γ production by pokeweed mitogen stimulated whole blood culture. This study demonstrates that for high yielding Holstein Friesian cows managed on a grass silage-based diet, concentrate inclusion levels in early lactation affects performance but has no effect on neutrophil or lymphocyte immune parameters.

The present study evaluated the behaviour of the AusBeef model for beef production as part of a 2 × 2 study simulating performance on forage-based and concentrate-based diets from Oceania and North America for four methane (CH4)-relevant outputs of interest. Three sensitivity analysis methods, one local and two global, were conducted. Different patterns of sensitivity were observed between forage-based and concentrate-based diets, but patterns were consistent within diet types. For the local analysis, 36, 196, 47 and 8 out of 305 model parameters had normalized sensitivities of 0, >0, >0·01 and >0·1 across all diets and outputs, respectively. No parameters had a normalized local sensitivity >1 across all diets and outputs. However, daily CH4 production had the greatest number of parameters with normalized local sensitivities >1 for each individual diet. Parameters that were highly sensitive for global and local analyses across the range of diets and outputs examined included terms involved in microbial growth, volatile fatty acid (VFA) yields, maximum absorption rates and their inhibition due to pH effects and particle exit rates. Global sensitivity analysis I showed the high sensitivity of forage-based diets to lipid entering the rumen, which may be a result of the use of a feedlot-optimized model to represent high-forage diets and warrants further investigation. Global sensitivity analysis II showed that when all parameter values were simultaneously varied within ±10% of initial value, >96% of output values were within ±20% of the baseline, which decreased to >50% when parameter value boundaries were expanded to ±25% of their original values, giving a range for robustness of model outputs with regards to potential different ‘true’ parameter values. There were output-specific differences in sensitivity, where outputs that had greater maximum local sensitivities displayed greater degrees of non-linear interaction in global sensitivity analysis I and less variance in output values for global sensitivity analysis II. For outputs with less interaction, such as the acetate : propionate ratio and microbial protein production, the single most sensitive term in global sensitivity analysis I contributed more to the overall total-order sensitivity than for outputs with more interaction, with an average of 49, 33, 15 and 14% of total-order sensitivity for microbial protein production, acetate : propionate ratio, CH4 production and energy from absorbed VFAs, respectively. Future studies should include data collection for highly sensitive parameters reported in the present study to improve overall model accuracy.

As demand for animal products, such as meat and milk, increases, and concern over environmental impact grows, mechanistic models can be useful tools to better represent and understand ruminant systems and evaluate mitigation options to reduce greenhouse gas emissions without compromising productivity. The objectives of the present study were to describe the representation of processes for growth and enteric methane (CH4) production in AusBeef, a whole-animal, dynamic, mechanistic model for beef production; evaluate AusBeef for its ability to predict daily methane production (DMP, g/day), gross energy intake (GEI, MJ/day) and methane yield (MJ CH4/MJ GEI) using an independent data set; and to compare AusBeef estimates to those from the empirical equations featured in the current National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM, 2016) beef cattle requirements for growth and the Ruminant Nutrition System (RNS), a dynamic, mechanistic model of Tedeschi & Fox, 2016. AusBeef incorporates a unique fermentation stoichiometry that represents four microbial groups: protozoa, amylolytic bacteria, cellulolytic bacteria and lactate-utilizing bacteria. AusBeef also accounts for the effects of ruminal pH on microbial degradation of feed particles. Methane emissions are calculated from net ruminal hydrogen balance, which is defined as the difference between inputs from fermentation and outputs due to microbial use and biohydrogenation. AusBeef performed similarly to the NASEM empirical model in terms of prediction accuracy and error decomposition, and with less root mean square predicted error (RMSPE) than the RNS mechanistic model when expressed as a percentage of the observed mean (RMSPE, %), and the majority of error was non-systematic. For DMP, RMSPE for AusBeef, NASEM and RNS were 24·0, 19·8 and 50·0 g/day for the full data set (n = 35); 25·6, 18·2 and 56·2 g/day for forage diets (n = 19); and 21·8, 21·5 and 41·5 g/day for mixed diets (n = 16), respectively. Concordance correlation coefficients (CCC) were highest for GEI, with all models having CCC > 0·66, and higher CCC for forage diets than mixed, while CCC were lowest for MY, particularly forage diets. Systematic error increased for all models on forage diets, largely due to an increase in error due to mean bias, and while all models performed well for mixed diets, further refinements are required to improve the prediction of CH4 on forage diets.

This study examined six- and 12-month levels of adherence to physical activity, functional changes, and psychosocial determinants of physical activity in 176 older adults who participated in the “Get Fit for Active Living (GFAL)” pilot program. Functional and psychosocial measures were conducted in person at six months; psychosocial measures and physical activity participation were assessed by telephone interview at 12 months. Ninety-five per cent were retained in the study at the six-month follow-up, and 88 per cent at 12 months. The self-reported adherence rate to exercise at 12 months was 66 per cent. The main reason for continued exercise participation was to maintain health (45%). Reasons for nonadherence were illness (38%) and lack of motivation (32%). Results identify factors associated with positive behaviour change that health promoters can utilize when targeting the older adult population. The GFAL project results can serve as a model for sustainable, community-based older-adult exercise programs.

The methodological and epistemological challenges that research on ethnopolitical violence faces are examined. This research area is fundamentally important for political reasons and for understanding, as well as subsequent interventions to ameliorate, youths’ responses to ethnopolitical violence. Advances in methods are reviewed that can overcome the obstacles placed by the various challenges. These issues are discussed in the context of the articles that comprise this Special Section.