Missing data in multi-omics integration: Recent advances through artificial intelligence.

Biological systems function through complex interactions between various 'omics (biomolecules), and a more complete understanding of these systems is only possible through an integrated, multi-omic perspective. This has presented the need for the development of integration approaches that are able to capture the complex, often non-linear, interactions that define these biological systems and are adapted to the challenges of combining the heterogenous data across 'omic views. A principal challenge to multi-omic integration is missing data because all biomolecules are not measured in all samples.

Benchmarking animal handling outcomes on cow-calf operations and identifying associated factors.

The assessment of animal handling is commonly included in cattle care programs. The guidelines set in the National Cattlemen's Beef Association Beef Checkoff funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program are often used for assessing handling on feedlot, stocker, and cow-calf operations. There is limited information about animal handling on cow-calf operations.

I Can Step Clearly Now, the TENS Is On: Transcutaneous Electric Nerve Stimulation Decreases Sensorimotor Uncertainty during Stepping Movements.

Transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation (TENS) is a method of electrical stimulation that elicits activity in sensory nerves and leads to improvements in the clinical metrics of mobility. However, the underlying perceptual mechanisms leading to this improvement are unknown. The aim of this study was to apply a Bayesian inference model to understand how TENS impacts sensorimotor uncertainty during full body stepping movements.

Novel applications of Bayesian inference clarify sensorimotor uncertainty during stepping movements.

The human nervous system relies on sensory information from the feet and legs to control the way we balance and walk. However, even in healthy individuals this sensory information is inherently variable and clouded with uncertainty. Researchers have found that the central nervous system (CNS) estimates body position amid the uncertainty of sensory signals in a way consistent with Bayesian inference.

Environmental Injustices of Leaks from Urban Natural Gas Distribution Systems: Patterns among and within 13 U.S. Metro Areas.

Natural gas leaks in local distribution systems can develop as underground pipeline infrastructure degrades over time. These leaks lead to safety, economic, and climate change burdens on society. We develop an environmental justice analysis of natural gas leaks discovered using advanced leak detection in 13 U.

Impacts of group stunning on the behavioral and physiological parameters of pigs and sheep in a small abattoir.

This study investigated reactions of pigs (N = 148) and sheep (N = 77) to group stunning where animals were present for the slaughter of others. Mock stunning with an isolated animal was used as the control. In both species, there was little evidence to suggest a difference in blood glucose and cortisol with stun order (P ≥ 0.

Impact of the wood-burning Justa cookstove on fine particulate matter exposure: A stepped-wedge randomized trial in rural Honduras.

Trial Design: We evaluated the impact of a biomass stove intervention on fine particulate matter (PM) concentrations using an individual-level, stepped-wedge randomized trial.

Methods: We enrolled 230 women in rural Honduran households using traditional biomass stoves and randomly allocated them to one of two study arms. The Justa stove, the study intervention, was locally-sourced, wood-burning, and included an engineered combustion chamber and chimney.

From unloading to trimming: studying bruising in individual slaughter cattle.

Livestock bruising is both an animal welfare concern and a detriment to the economic value of carcasses. Understanding the causes of bruising is challenging due to the numerous factors that have been shown to be related to bruise prevalence. While most cattle bruising studies collect and analyze data on truckload lots of cattle, this study followed a large number ( = 585) of individual animals from unloading through postmortem processing at five different slaughter plants.

An approach for calibrating laser-based N O isotopic analyzers for soil biogeochemistry research.

Rationale: Technological advances have motivated researchers to transition from traditional gas chromatography/isotope ratio mass spectrometry to rapid, high-throughput, laser-based instrumentation for N O isotopic research. However, calibrating laser-based instruments to yield accurate and precise isotope ratios has been an ongoing challenge. To streamline the N O isotope research pipeline, we developed the calibration protocol for laser-based analyzers described here.

A National Estimate of Methane Leakage from Pipeline Mains in Natural Gas Local Distribution Systems.

We estimate methane emissions from U.S. local distribution natural gas (NG) pipes using data collected from an advanced mobile leak detection (AMLD) platform.

Associations Between Bioaerosol Exposures and Lung Function Changes Among Dairy Workers in Colorado.

Objective: Limited studies have examined effects of bioaerosols on the respiratory health of dairy workers; previous findings have been inconsistent across populations.

Methods: Using a repeated measures design, exposures to dust, bioaerosols, and ozone were assessed and pre- and post-shift spirometry was performed for dairy workers (n = 36). Workers completed 1 to 8 visits.

Study protocol for a stepped-wedge randomized cookstove intervention in rural Honduras: household air pollution and cardiometabolic health.

Background: Growing evidence links household air pollution exposure from biomass-burning cookstoves to cardiometabolic disease risk. Few randomized controlled interventions of cookstoves (biomass or otherwise) have quantitatively characterized changes in exposure and indicators of cardiometabolic health, a growing and understudied burden in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Ideally, the solution is to transition households to clean cooking, such as with electric or liquefied petroleum gas stoves; however, those unable to afford or to access these options will continue to burn biomass for the foreseeable future.

An open source algorithm to detect natural gas leaks from mobile methane survey data.

The data collected by mobile methane (CH4) sensors can be used to find natural gas (NG) leaks in urban distribution systems. Extracting actionable insights from the large volumes of data collected by these sensors requires several data processing steps. While these survey platforms are commercially available, the associated data processing software largely constitute a black box due to their proprietary nature.

Vehicle-Based Methane Surveys for Finding Natural Gas Leaks and Estimating Their Size: Validation and Uncertainty.

Managing leaks in urban natural gas (NG) distribution systems is important for reducing methane emissions and costly waste. Mobile surveying technologies have emerged as a new tool for monitoring system integrity, but this new technology has not yet been widely adopted. Here, we establish the efficacy of mobile methane surveys for managing local NG distribution systems by evaluating their ability to detect and locate NG leaks and quantify their emissions.

A meta-analysis of temperature sensitivity as a microbial trait.

Traits-based approaches in microbial ecology provide a valuable way to abstract organismal interaction with the environment and to generate hypotheses about community function. Using macromolecular rate theory (MMRT), we recently identified that temperature sensitivity can be characterized as a distinct microbial trait. As temperature is fundamental in controlling biological reactions, variation in temperature sensitivity across communities, organisms, and processes has the potential to vastly improve understanding of microbial response to climate change.

Reticulo-rumen temperature as a predictor of calving time in primiparous and parous Holstein females.

The objective of this research was to define and analyze drops in reticulo-rumen temperature (Trr) as an indicator of calving time in Holstein females. Data were collected from 111 primiparous and 150 parous Holstein females between November 2012 and March 2013. Between -15 and -5 d relative to anticipated calving date, each female received an orally administered temperature sensing reticulo-rumen bolus that collected temperatures hourly.