Paul Metropolitan Area Research Articles

Characterizing Differences in Thymic Function in Women With and Without Vulvodynia: A Community-Based Study.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between vulvodynia and thymic function. In this case-control study of 200 clinically confirmed cases of vulvodynia and 205 general population controls residing in the Minneapolis/Saint Paul metropolitan area, we used DNA extracted from whole blood to measure levels of signal joint T-cell receptor excision circles (sjTRECs), a measure of thymic output. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association between vulvodynia and thymic function. In 405 participants (aged 18-40 years), we observed an association between decreasing thymic function and increasing age. Women with vulvodynia had a steeper decline in sjTREC values across age categories compared with women without vulvodynia. In addition, at younger ages, women with vulvodynia had higher sjTREC values compared with women without vulvodynia. In older women, those with vulvodynia had lower sjTREC than those without vulvodynia. When accounting for recency of vulvar pain onset, women with a shorter time since pain onset had higher thymic function compared with women with a longer time since vulvar pain onset. These findings suggest that at younger ages, women with vulvodynia have higher thymic output and a more precipitous decline of thymic function than those without vulvodynia. It also seems that a strong immune inflammatory response is present proximate to the onset of vulvar pain and may wane subsequently over time.

Goods movement, road safety, and spatial inequity: Evaluating freight-related crashes in low-income or minority neighborhoods

The significant growth in freight traffic and relevant crashes has aroused increasing concerns about road safety threats in local communities. We use data from the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area and examine the spatial relationship between freight-related crashes and neighborhoods with low-income and minority populations. We find that both household income and percentage of minority population are significantly correlated with the density of both freight-related crashes and freight-related crashes causing severe injuries and fatalities. The results indicate that freight-related crashes are subject to a spatial inequity problem. The findings underscore the importance of incorporating freight-related safety improvement within these low-income and minority neighborhoods.

Measuring the Association Between Thunderstorms in the Presence of High Pollen and Risk of Severe Asthma

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Studies have shown an acute association between the occurrence of thunderstorm conditions in the presence of high pollen and severe asthma, but minimal work has studied these events over a multi-year time series, using detailed measurements of storms and pollen. METHODS: We estimate the change in risk between thunderstorm asthma events and asthma-related emergency room visits in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area for the years 2007-2018. We defined thunderstorm asthma events as daily occurrence of 2 or more lightning strikes during periods of high pollen, interpolated using weather and pollen monitor data and modeled lightning counts. Daily counts of asthma-related emergency department visits were acquired from the Minnesota Hospital Association. We use a 2-stage approach combining zip code level quasi-Poisson time-series regressions in a meta-analysis to estimate an overall relative risk of hospitalizations during thunderstorm asthma events. RESULTS:We observed a 4.4% (RR = 1.044; 95% CI (1.013,1.076), increase in asthma emergency department visits on the day of thunderstorm asthma event and a 3.2% (RR 1.032; 95% CI (1.003,1.062) increase on the day after the storm event. Our findings were robust to adjustment for temperature, humidity, wind, precipitation, ozone, PM2.5, day of week, and natural splines for seasonal variation in asthma cases. Occurrence of lightning alone or pollen alone shows no association with risk of severe asthma. CONCLUSIONS:Our results support an association between co-occurrence of lightning and pollen and risk of asthma hospitalization. This model, while previously described with specific epidemic events, has not been well studied in a time series model to evaluate long-term risk, using measurement of both lightning and pollen, and never using unique small area exposure assignment and outcome counts. Our findings indicate that thunderstorm asthma may be an unidentified environmental risk factor for severe asthma. KEYWORDS: asthma, pollen, thunderstorms, climate

P71 Barriers to Attendance in a Father-focused Adolescent Obesity Prevention Program: Padres Preparados, Jóvenes Saludables

<h3>Background</h3> Latino family-centered, community-based intervention studies to prevent childhood obesity have primarily involved mothers; therefore, little information about father participation is available. A Latino father-focused program to prevent adolescent obesity was conducted with low participation from some fathers. <h3>Objective</h3> The study aim was to determine factors associated with fathers' attendance in an adolescent obesity prevention program. <h3>Study Design, Settings, Participants</h3> Data were from 147 fathers participating in the Padres Preparados, Jóvenes Saludables program, a randomized controlled trial to prevent Latino adolescent (10-14 years) obesity. Eight weekly (2-hour) sessions were conducted in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area (2017-2020). Participants were randomly assigned to intervention or waitlist control groups after baseline data collection. <h3>Measurable Outcome/Analysis</h3> The program facilitator recorded father presence or absence at each session. Attendance data were used in cluster analysis to identify attendance patterns. Predictor variables were measured at baseline with surveys and via anthropometric measures, including demographics, socioeconomic status, adolescent weight status, adolescent weight concerns, food-related activities with adolescents, family meal frequency, food assistance program participation, family stress, number of children, neighborhood safety, assigned group, site, and session season. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine associations between attendance patterns and predictor variables after assessing appropriateness for inclusion in regression models. <h3>Results</h3> Three attendance patterns were identified for all fathers: consistently high attendance (52%), declining attendance (18%), and non-attendance (30%). Compared to fathers with a consistently high attendance pattern, fathers with a non-attendance pattern were more likely to be assigned to the waitlisted control group (OR: 7.9 [95% CI: 2.6-23.9]; <i>P</i> < 0.01) and have lower household income (OR: 2.8 [95% CI: 1.0-7.8]; <i>P</i> = 0.04). No predictors were associated with declining attendance compared to consistently high attendance. <h3>Conclusion</h3> Maintaining contact with control families during waiting periods and providing online sessions to increase flexibility for low-income families could address Latino father non-attendance.

Hybrid watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum\u2009\xd7\u2009Myriophyllum sibiricum) exhibits traits associated with greater invasiveness than its introduced and native parental taxa

Hybridization has been associated with increased invasiveness in plants. In North America, the hybrid aquatic plant Myriophyllum spicatum × Myriophyllum sibiricum (hybrid watermilfoil, hereafter HWM) is a cross between non-native invasive Eurasian watermilfoil (M. spicatum, EWM) and native northern watermilfoil (M. sibiricum, NWM). Lab-based trials have demonstrated higher growth rates in HWM compared to EWM and NWM, but these patterns have not been systematically examined in the field. In this study, we compared the invasiveness of HWM to its parental taxa, EWM and NWM, by examining the amount and timing of: (1) flowering, (2) surface cover, and (3) biomass (using stem counts as a proxy). We conducted repeat surveys of Myriophyllum beds at eight lakes (2–3 lakes/taxon) in the Minneapolis–St. Paul Metropolitan area (Minnesota, USA) between June 2017 and November 2018. HWM produced more flower spikes earlier and overall, and maintained consistently more flower spikes throughout the growing season than EWM and NWM. In addition, surface cover reached greater annual peaks and was higher for longer throughout the growing season for HWM than for both parental taxa. We did not observe a significant difference in stem counts among the three taxa, but HWM did reach a higher maximum number of stems than either parental taxon. This study provides field-based evidence of increased invasiveness associated with hybridization between EWM and NWM; specifically, greater reproductive potential via flowering and greater surface cover may increase HWM spread, have greater impacts on native species, and pose more of a nuisance to lake users.

Skin Carotenoid Scores Assessed with Reflection Spectroscopy Are Associated with Self-Reported Fruit and Vegetable Intake Among Latino Early Adolescents

BackgroundLatino early adolescents have a high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Interventions to address healthy eating among Latino youth frequently focus on fruit and vegetable (FV) intake. Reflection spectroscopy assessed skin carotenoid (SC) levels has been proposed as an easy, noninvasive method to evaluate FV intake, but validation studies involving ethnically diverse youth are lacking. ObjectiveThis study aimed to assess the association between reflection spectroscopy-measured SC scores and self-reported FV intake among low-income, urban, Latino early adolescents, controlling for potential confounding factors. DesignThis study was a cross-sectional secondary analysis of baseline data from a community-based intervention program (Padres Preparados, Jóvenes Saludables) involving Latino fathers and adolescents to improve paternal parenting practices and youth energy balance-related behaviors. Participants/settingParticipants were 195 low-income, Latino early adolescents (aged 10 to 14 years). Data were collected in the Minneapolis/St Paul metropolitan area from 2017 to 2020 during fall or winter months. Main outcome measuresSC scores were measured using reflection spectroscopy, usual intakes of FV and carotenoid compounds were estimated based on the assessment using 24-hour dietary recalls. Statistical analysisMultivariable linear regression analyses were used to estimate associations of SC scores and each dietary component and potential confounding factors after assessing variables for inclusion in the analyses. ResultsThe mean SC score was 225 ± 95. The mean FV and total carotenoid intakes were 3.3 ± 0.5 servings/day and 8,360 ± 786 μg/day, respectively. Higher SC scores were observed among youth who had higher FV (β = .37 and P < 0.01) or total carotenoid intakes (β = .31 and P < 0.01). SC scores measured during fall were higher than scores measured during winter. Study participants with higher home FV availability and accessibility had higher SC scores. ConclusionsFindings supported using SC score as a potential easy-to-use indicator of FV intake among Latino youth with consideration of seasonal variation and home FV availability and accessibility.

Days Needed to Characterize the Healthfulness of a Typical Dinner Meal in Direct Observational Research: Mixed Methods Study.

BackgroundPrior research around the home meal environment has demonstrated that family meals are associated with positive health outcomes for children and adolescents. Researchers have begun using direct observational methods to understand key aspects of family meals such as meal healthfulness and family meal frequency to explain the protective nature of family meals. Direct observational research, however, can be resource intensive and also burdensome for participants. Information about the number of days needed to sufficiently characterize typical meal healthfulness using direct observational research methods is needed.ObjectiveThe current study aimed to produce guidance about the number of meals necessary to approximate typical meal healthfulness at the family dinner meal occasion in a direct observational, mixed methods study of the home food environment.MethodsFamilies were recruited between 2012-2013 from primary care clinics in the Minneapolis–St Paul metropolitan area (N=120). A total of 800 meals were collected as part of the Family Meals LIVE! mixed methods study. The Healthfulness of Meal Index was used to evaluate meal dietary healthfulness of foods served at 8 family meal occasions. Participating families were provided an iPad (Apple Inc) and asked to video-record 8 consecutive days of family dinner meals with a minimum of two weekend meals. After the meal, families completed a meal screener, which is a self-reported, open-ended measure of the foods served at the meal.ResultsWeekend and weekday meals differed in their measurement of meal healthfulness, indicating that at least one weekday and one weekend day are necessary to approximate meal healthfulness. Single-day measurement mischaracterized the strength of the relationship between the quality of what was served and intake by almost 50%, and 3 to 4 observation days were sufficient to characterize typical weekly meal healthfulness (r=0.94; P<.001).ConclusionsRelatively few direct observational days of family meals data appear to be needed to approximate the healthfulness of meals across 1 week. Specifically, 1 weekday and 1 weekend observation are needed, including a total of 3 to 4 days of direct observational meal data. These findings may inform future direct observational study designs to reduce both research costs and participant burden in assessing features of the meal environment.

Visualizing, clustering, and characterizing activity-trip sequences via weighted sequence alignment and functional data analysis

Smartphone-based activity-travel surveys have enabled the collection of continuous, multi-day data on individuals’ trips and activities with high spatial and temporal resolution. However, the multi-dimensional nature of these data makes it challenging to compare activity-travel patterns and identify clusters of individuals with similar patterns and use them to study behaviors and forecast travel demands. To address this challenge, we adopt a discrete, step-based view on time and transform the episodic-based diary into a sequence of states observed at a sample interval. The resulting sequences can visually characterize variations in activity-travel patterns across days of a week and among different individuals. Motivated by techniques in genomics and data science, we apply sequence alignment methods to measure the pairwise similarity between these activity-trip sequences. To address its practical implementation in transportation studies, we define and compare four weighting schemas: (1) the unit-cost distance, which assigns equal weights to all substitution operations between states; (2) the fixed-flexible weighted distance based on the time geography framework, where costs differ for substitutions involving fixed and flexible activities; (3) the trip-activity weighted distance considering travel as a derived demand, where costs differ for substitutions between trips and activities; and (4) transition-based weighted distance, where costs are based on the global or time-varying activity and trip transition rates estimated from the data. Then, we calculate the pairwise distances between individuals’ sequences and use them as inputs to a hierarchical clustering algorithm to group individuals with similar sequences. We visualize the state distributions of the identified clusters to infer and compare behavior patterns, and use functional data regression methods to estimate the time-dependent probabilities of engaging in various activities and trips. To demonstrate our methods, we analyze a smartphone-based survey dataset collected in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. We also conduct sensitivity analysis on the selection of cost metrics and sample intervals to ensure the robustness of our methods and discuss their implications in practice. By identifying population subgroups with distinct daily activity-travel patterns and explaining how these patterns vary over one day and depend on user profiles, our weighted sequence alignment approach provides an intuitive and flexible method for extracting and characterizing individuals’ activity-travel behaviors for use in transportation planning.

Homeowner perceptions of watering restriction scenarios in the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area

AbstractTurfgrass‐dominated residential yardscapes are an important component of urban ecological landscapes. These spaces provide a multitude of benefits both ecological (e.g., water filtration) and social (e.g., recreation). However, yardscapes can require significant amounts of input such as fertilizers, herbicides, and more critically water. Residential outdoor water use has been extensively studied in water‐scarce areas (e.g., southwestern United States) but water supply issues are also beginning to impact previously water‐rich regions. One tool a municipality can use to control water usage is residential watering restrictions. Despite past research on the outcomes of such watering restrictions, few studies have tried to understand the perceptions of how homeowners subject to such restrictions feel about them. The current study addresses two critical gaps: first to understand homeowner perceptions of common watering restriction types and their likelihood to water, and second to expand the geographic scope of water use research by targeting a nonwater‐scarce area. We conducted an online survey of homeowners in the Twin Cities metropolitan area (TCMA) in Minnesota. Overall, homeowners held moderately favorable views towards three theoretical restriction scenarios and were about equally as likely to water across scenarios compared to no restrictions. Attitudes and perceptions of restrictions saving water drove favorability; conversely, the presence of irrigation systems predicted increased watering likelihood across scenarios. Strategies to reduce water use and achieve conservation goals in nonwater‐scarce areas should include assessment of resident perceptions of watering restrictions alongside sustained education campaigns.

Assessing urban ecosystem services provided by green infrastructure: Golf courses in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area

With more than half the world’s population living in urban areas, most of people’s potential to receive ecosystem service benefits occurs in cities. However a straightforward, replicable approach to quantifying multiple urban ecosystem services has yet to emerge, so urban planning decisions often overlook the value nature could provide people. Urbanization is likely to increase development pressure on many forms of green spaces across cities, particularly for golf courses that represent a substantial part of urban areas in the United States. Here, we developed a replicable process to assess how the supply of three urban ecosystem services (urban cooling, stormwater nutrient retention, and pollinator abundance) change with alternative land uses, using golf course development in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota, USA as a case study. We developed a replicable framework to assess changes in urban ecosystem services and found that green infrastructure provided by golf courses provide an intermediate amount of services compared to five other land use options. Combining land cover with land use zoning data to parameterize existing ecosystem service models for urban use is an important advancement. Our study describes how to combine land use with land cover and provides insights for urban planners interested in exploring public consequences of land cover and land use changes in cities. The approach we’ve developed can be applied to land use change scenarios in other cities with comparable data and help integrate the value of nature into urban planning.

Field investigation of the groundwater contribution to baseflow in an urban stream from a Quaternary aquifer with a leaky base

AbstractGroundwater contributions to baseflow in Minnehaha Creek, a creek located in a highly developed watershed in the Minneapolis‐St. Paul metropolitan area, from the watershed's Quaternary aquifer were quantified as part of an effort to manage low flow conditions in the creek. Considerable uncertainty exists with any single method used to quantify groundwater contributions to baseflow; therefore, a “weight of evidence” approach in which methods spanning multiple spatial scales was utilized. Analyses conducted at the watershed‐scale (streamflow separation and stable isotope analyses) were corroborated with site‐scale measurements (piezometer, seepage meter, and streambed temperature profiles) over a multi‐year period to understand processes and conditions controlling connectivity between the stream, its shallow aquifer system and other flow sources. In the case of Minnehaha Creek, groundwater discharge was found to range from 6.2 to 23 mm year−1, which represented only 5 to 11% of annual streamflow during the study period. From the weight of evidence, it is conjectured that regional‐scale hydrogeological conditions control groundwater discharge in Minnehaha Creek. Implications of these results with regard to possible augmentation of baseflow by increasing groundwater recharge with infiltration of stormwater are discussed.

Within- and Between-Household Variation in Food Expenditures Among Low-Income Households Using a Novel Simple Annotated Receipt Method.

Background: Household food purchasing behavior has gained interest as an intervention to improve nutrition and nutrition-associated outcomes. However, evaluating food expenditures is challenging in epidemiological studies. Assessment methods that are both valid and feasible for use among diverse, low-income populations are needed. We therefore developed a novel simple annotated receipt method to assess household food purchasing. First, we describe and evaluate the extent to which the method captures food purchasing information. We then evaluate within- and between-household variation in weekly food purchasing to determine sample sizes and the number of weeks of data needed to measure household food purchasing with adequate precision.Methods: Four weeks of food purchase receipt data were collected from 260 low-income households in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The proportion of receipt line items that could not be coded into one of 11 food categories (unidentified) was calculated, and a zero-inflated negative binomial regression was used to evaluate the association between unidentified receipt items and participant characteristics and store type. Within- and between-household coefficients of variation were calculated for total food expenditures and several food categories.Results: A low proportion of receipt line items (1.6%) could not be coded into a food category and the incidence of unidentified items did not appreciably vary by participant characteristics. Weekly expenditures on foods high in added sugar had higher within- and between-household coefficients of variation than weekly fruit and vegetable expenditures. To estimate mean weekly food expenditures within 20% of the group's usual (“true”) expenditures, 72 households were required. Nine weeks of data were required to achieve an r = 0.90 between observed and usual weekly food expenditures.Conclusions: The simple annotated receipt method may be a feasible tool for use in assessing food expenditures of low-income, diverse populations. Within- and between-household coefficients of variation suggest that the number of weeks of data or group sizes required to precisely estimate usual household expenditures is higher for foods high in added sugar compared to fruits and vegetables.

Internal and External Costs of Motor Vehicle Pollution

On-road emissions, a dominant source of urban air pollution, damage human health. Emissions increase air pollution intake (and damage health) of travelers (internal costs), and of non-travelers (external costs). This research constructs a framework modeling the microscopic production of emission cost from the vehicle and link level and applies it to a metropolitan road network. It uses project-level Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES) simulations to model link-specific on-road emissions, and then employs the RLINE dispersion model to estimate on- and off-road concentrations of pollutants from vehicles. The internal and external emission costs are measured accordingly by counting the health damage costs of travelers and general population because of exposure. The framework is applied to the Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities) Metropolitan Area as a proof-of-concept. The estimates show that highways have higher emission concentrations because of higher traffic flow, but that the internal and external emission costs per vehicle kilometer traveled are lower. The emission costs that commuters impose on others greatly exceeds that which they bear. This modeling process is replicable for planners and practitioners assessing emission costs in other regions.

P11 Nutrition Insights on Dietary Preferences and Challenges From Lower SES Adults with Heart Failure

BackgroundOnly a limited number of studies have investigated challenges heart failure (HF) patients face in adhering to dietary recommendations for HF management, and none have focused on racially diverse, lower socioeconomic status (SES) populations at high risk for adverse outcomes.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to explore and understand the dietary preferences and challenges of older, lower SES adults with HF.Study Design, Setting, ParticipantsWe conducted an exploratory, qualitative study using structured telephone interviews. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 21 adults with HF, aged 50 years or older, from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.Measurable Outcome/AnalysisResponses to open-ended questions about participants’ experiences managing their diet, grocery shopping, and cooking were analyzed from interview audio recordings using thematic analysis. Responses to closed-ended questions, including those about demographics and health and nutrition characteristics, were analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsThe dietary recommendations and goals most frequently mentioned by participants were limiting sodium and increasing intake of fruits and vegetables. Many participants reported that high food prices and a limited budget made it difficult to follow their diet and make healthy choices when grocery shopping. The food environment, particularly the high-salt content in food products and the promotion of unhealthy food in stores, presented additional challenges. Participants suggested a variety of ways to make following their diet, shopping, and cooking easier including online grocery ordering and delivery, pre-prepared ingredients, and assistance with meal planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. The idea of a medically tailored home-delivered meal service was well-received by most study participants.ConclusionsOur findings provide a starting point for developing programs and policies to help older, lower SES HF patients follow their diet and improve their health, thereby reducing health disparities. Since finances are a key concern, programs and policies need to be designed with cost in mind. Only a limited number of studies have investigated challenges heart failure (HF) patients face in adhering to dietary recommendations for HF management, and none have focused on racially diverse, lower socioeconomic status (SES) populations at high risk for adverse outcomes. The objective of this study was to explore and understand the dietary preferences and challenges of older, lower SES adults with HF. We conducted an exploratory, qualitative study using structured telephone interviews. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 21 adults with HF, aged 50 years or older, from the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. Responses to open-ended questions about participants’ experiences managing their diet, grocery shopping, and cooking were analyzed from interview audio recordings using thematic analysis. Responses to closed-ended questions, including those about demographics and health and nutrition characteristics, were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The dietary recommendations and goals most frequently mentioned by participants were limiting sodium and increasing intake of fruits and vegetables. Many participants reported that high food prices and a limited budget made it difficult to follow their diet and make healthy choices when grocery shopping. The food environment, particularly the high-salt content in food products and the promotion of unhealthy food in stores, presented additional challenges. Participants suggested a variety of ways to make following their diet, shopping, and cooking easier including online grocery ordering and delivery, pre-prepared ingredients, and assistance with meal planning, shopping, cooking, and cleaning up. The idea of a medically tailored home-delivered meal service was well-received by most study participants. Our findings provide a starting point for developing programs and policies to help older, lower SES HF patients follow their diet and improve their health, thereby reducing health disparities. Since finances are a key concern, programs and policies need to be designed with cost in mind.

What’s in a yardscape? A case study of emergent ecosystem services and disservices within resident yardscape discourses in Minnesota

Residential yardscapes are at the forefront of human interaction with nature for those living in urban areas across Europe and North America. In recent years a significant amount of research has investigated urban green spaces using the ecosystem services framework (ES) along with ecosystem disservices (ED) and how such spaces deliver urban ecosystem services (UES). However, a gap exists in understanding how ES and ED manifest themselves in the more specific context of residential yardscapes. Specifically, do homeowners conceptualize ES and ED when talking about their yards without specific prompts to reflect services and disservices? The current work presents a case study of homeowners in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area in Minnesota, United States. We used two associated surveys to elicit responses related to homeowners’ yards. Without prompting, homeowner conceptualizations of their yardscapes reflected all ES categories with cultural (CES) (e.g., family recreation) and provisioning (PES) (e.g., vegetable cultivation) services cited most often. Homeowners also mentioned ED associated with their own or a neighbor’s yard (e.g., attraction of nuisance wildlife). Their plans for yardscapes indicated largely incremental changes (e.g., putting in a new planting bed) vs. drastic shifts (e.g., complete replacement of turfgrass with alternative vegetation). This case study illustrates that the homeowners’ conceptualizations of their yards do indeed reflect current ES & ED frameworks without specific prompting. The ES framework, combined with the identified leverage points, can be a fruitful approach for enhancing UES and minimizing ED within residential yardscapes.

Applying ‘action situation’ concepts to public land managers’ perceptions of flowering bee lawns in urban parks

As urbanization increases, so do the demands on public parks to serve multiple aesthetic, recreational, and ecological functions. Decisions about vegetation selection and management on parkland are complex and must reconcile the values of diverse user groups. Public land managers serve a key role in this decision-making process, though their perspectives are not well understood. We apply Ostrom’s ‘action situation’ concepts from the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to four focus group discussions with public land managers about the possible implementation of flowering bee lawns (turf areas seeded with low-growing flowers) to support pollinators. The 33 participants represented 24 local park departments throughout the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area. The public land managers’ descriptions highlight the intertwined roles that the public, elected officials, and maintenance staff play as stakeholders in vegetation change decisions. Participants’ narratives also illuminate the dynamics governing the decision to adopt a novel vegetation type on parkland and the strategies public land managers use to negotiate these situations. The anticipated prevailing public opinion of flowering bee lawns varied across communities, yet there was similarity across park systems in the kinds of tensions and dynamics they expected (e.g. pressure to reduce maintenance costs, growing public concern for bee conservation, public fears of bee stings). They responded with three strategies; most common was an active effort to educate the public and elected officials. In contrast, some advocated a more discreet approach, experimenting with flowering lawns at low-visibility sites where the public would be unlikely to notice. Finally, a third approach, not mentioned as frequently, was to promote flowering lawns as an effort to reduce mowing or the use of herbicides. Our findings shed light on public land managers’ understandings of the complex socio-ecological landscape that they must navigate to effect vegetation change.

Reducing exposure to high levels of perfluorinated compounds in drinking water improves reproductive outcomes: evidence from an intervention in Minnesota

BackgroundPer- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have been detected in drinking water supplies around the world and are the subject of intense regulatory debate. While they have been associated with several illnesses, their effects on reproductive outcomes remains uncertain.MethodsWe analyzed birth outcomes in the east Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area from 2002 to 2011, where a portion of the population faced elevated exposure to PFASs due to long-term contamination of drinking water supplies from industrial waste disposal. Installation of a water filtration facility in the highly contaminated city of Oakdale, MN at the end of 2006 resulted in a sharp decrease in exposure to PFASs, creating a “natural experiment”. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we compare the changes in birth outcomes before and after water filtration in Oakdale to the changes over the same period in neighboring communities where the treatment of municipal water remained constant.ResultsAverage birth weight and average gestational age were statistically significantly lower in the highly exposed population than in the control area prior to filtration of municipal water supply. The highly exposed population faced increased odds of low birth weight (adjusted odds ratio 1.36, 95% CI 1.25–1.48) and pre-term birth (adjusted odds ratio 1.14, 95% CI 1.09–1.19) relative to the control before filtration, and these differences moderated after filtration. The general fertility rate was also significantly lower in the exposed population (incidence rate ratio 0.73, 95% CI 0.69–0.77) prior to filtration and appeared to be rebounding post-2006.ConclusionsOur findings provide evidence of a causal relationship between filtration of drinking water containing high levels of exposure to PFASs and improved reproductive outcomes.

Horticultural availability and homeowner preferences drive plant diversity and composition in urban yards.

Understanding the factors that influence biodiversity in urban areas is important for informing management efforts aimed at enhancing the ecosystem services in urban settings and curbing the spread of invasive introduced species. We determined the ecological and socioeconomic factors that influence patterns of plant richness, phylogenetic diversity, and composition in 133 private household yards in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan area, Minnesota, USA. We compared the composition of spontaneously occurring plant species and those planted by homeowners with composition in natural areas (at the Cedar Creek Ecosystem Science Reserve) and in the horticulture pool of species available from commercial growers. Yard area and fertilizer frequency influenced species richness of the spontaneous species but expressed homeowner values did not. In contrast, the criteria that homeowners articulated as important in their management decisions, including aesthetics, wildlife, neatness and food provision, significantly predicted cultivated species richness. Strikingly, the composition of plant species that people cultivated in their yards resembled the taxonomic and phylogenetic composition of species available commercially. In contrast, the taxonomic and phylogenetic composition of spontaneous species showed high similarity to natural areas. The large fraction of introduced species that homeowners planted was a likely consequence of what was available for them to purchase. The study links the composition and diversity of yard flora to their natural and anthropogenic sources and sheds light on the human factors and values that influence the plant diversity in residential areas of a major urban system. Enhanced understanding of the influences of the sources of plants, both native and introduced, that enter urban systems and the human factors and values that influence their diversity is critical to identifying the levers to manage urban biodiversity and ecosystem services.

Shortest paths, travel costs, and traffic

This study examines path flows for road networks. Path flows sum individual route choices from individual travelers, associated with specific path objective. We estimate these flows for each cost factor of auto travel: time, safety, emission, and monetary costs, as well as their composite, internal and full cost of travel. For each factor, we find the route with the minimum cumulative cost. We further explore the extent to which each cost factor contributes to explaining the observed link traffic flows given an estimated home-to-work demand pattern. The results of the Minneapolis – St. Paul metropolitan area indicate that flows from multiple path types, associated with different internal cost components, along with distance, provide the best fit.

Young adult nutrition and weight correlates of picky eating during childhood.

To identify whether picky eating during childhood is associated with dietary intake, weight status and disordered eating behaviour during young adulthood. A population-based study using data from young adults who responded online or by mail to the third wave of the Project EAT (Eating and Activity in Teens and Young Adults) study in 2008-2009. Participants retrospectively reported the extent to which they were a picky eater in childhood, sociodemographic characteristics, disordered eating behaviours, usual dietary intake, and weight and height. Participants were initially recruited in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area of Minnesota, USA, in 1998-1999. The analytic sample included 2275 young adults (55 % female, 48 % non-Hispanic White, mean age 25·3 (sd 1·6) years). Young adults who reported picky eating in childhood were found to currently have lower intakes of fruit, vegetables and whole grains, and more frequent intakes of snack foods, sugar-sweetened beverages and foods from fast-food restaurants. No associations were observed between picky eating in childhood and young adults' weight status, use of weight-control strategies or report of binge eating. While young adults who report picky eating during childhood are not at higher risk for disordered eating, those who were picky eaters tend to have less healthy dietary intake. Food preferences and dietary habits established by picky eaters during childhood may persist into adulthood.