Birds such as the cowbird that lay their eggs in the nests of other birds have evolved strategies to disguise their chicks and not just their eggs. María De Mársico and her colleagues at the University of Buenos Aires observed eggs or hatchlings from the screaming cowbird (Molothrus rufoaxillaris; pictured left) or the shiny cowbird (Molothrus bonariensis) that were placed or laid in the nests of the baywing (Agelaioides badius; right), and measured the fledglings' survival rates. The researchers found

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The primary purpose of the study was to determine if girls in one school receiving nurse counseling plus an after-school Physical Activity Club showed greater improvement in physical activity, cardiovascular fitness, and body composition than girls assigned to an attention control condition in another school (N = 69). Linear regressions controlling for baseline measures showed no statistically significant group differences, but directionality of differences was consistent with greater intervention group improvement for minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity/hour (t = 0.95, p = .35), cardiovascular fitness (t = 1.26, p = .22), body mass index (BMI; t = −1.47, p = .15), BMI z-score (t = −1.19, p = .24), BMI percentile (t = −0.59, p = .56), percent body fat (t = −0.86, p = .39), and waist circumference (t = −0.19, p = .85). Findings support testing with a larger sample.

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Although agricultural production faces chronic stress associated with extreme precipitation events, high temperatures, drought, and shifts in climate conditions, adoption of climate information into agricultural decision making has been relatively limited. Agricultural advisors have been shown to play important roles as information intermediaries between scientists and farmers, brokering, translating, and adding value to agronomic and economic information of use in agricultural management decision making. Yet little is known about the readiness of different types of agricultural advisors to use weather and climate information to help their clients manage risk under increasing climate uncertainty. More than 1700 agricultural advisors in four midwestern states (Nebraska, Indiana, Iowa, and Michigan) completed a web-based survey during the spring of 2012 about their use of weather and climate information, public or private sector employment, and roles as information intermediaries in three advising specializations: agronomic, conservation, and financial. Key findings reveal that advisors who specialize in providing agronomic information are positively inclined toward acting as weather and climate information intermediaries, based on influence and willingness to use climate information in providing many types of operational and tactical advice. Advisors who provide conservation advice appear to be considering weather and climate information when providing tactical and strategic land-use advice, but advisors who provide financial advice seem less inclined to act as climate information intermediaries. These findings highlight opportunities to increase the capacity of different types of advisors to enable them to be effective weather and climate information intermediaries.

Objectives Newborns are dependent on breastmilk vitamin A for building hepatic stores of vitamin A that will become critical for survival after weaning. It has been documented that vitamin A concentrations in breastmilk decline across the first year postpartum in both well-nourished and malnourished populations. The reason for this decline has been assumed to be a sign of concurrently depleting maternal hepatic stores. This study investigates this assumption to clarify why the decline occurs, drawing on life history theory. Methods A cross sectional survey was conducted among lactating mothers in Kenya in 2006. Data were used to examine (1) the relationship between liver vitamin A and time, (2) if the relationship between milk and liver vitamin A varies by time, and (3) by maternal parity. Results The relationship between liver vitamin A and time fits the quadratic pattern with marginal significance (P = 0.071, n = 192); the liver vitamin A declined during early postpartum then recovered in late postpartum time, controlling covariates. The milk-liver vitamin A relationship varied by postpartum time periods (P = 0.03) and by maternal parity (P = 0.005). Mothers in earlier postpartum or higher parity had a stronger positive relationship between milk and liver vitamin A than mothers in later postpartum or lower parity. Conclusions Our observations are consistent with life history tradeoffs and negate the assumption that maternal hepatic and milk vitamin A decline together. Rather, maternal liver vitamin A has a dynamic relationship with milk vitamin A, particularly depending on postpartum time and maternal parity.

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Our results indicate that diversified diets enhance vitamin A status relative to narrower diets with equivalent vitamin A content. DDS shows a potential as a low-cost, field-friendly method for exploratory assessments of vitamin A status, and a potential as a research tool for human biologists and anthropologists interested in dietary quality and micronutrient health.