scholarly journals Review: Imagining Apocalyptic Politics in the Anthropocene

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suvi Alt
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Wide Range

Imagining Apocalyptic Politics in the Anthropocene speaks to a widespread contemporary perception of crisis which is constituted, among others, by rapidly deteriorating environmental conditions, the rise of nationalist politics, and the spread of infectious disease. The book's chapters offer a wide range of compelling engagements with the predicaments of existence in the era that is called the Anthropocene, with subjects ranging from the climate emergency to geotrauma to urbicide, and from indigenous cosmologies to ageism to selfies. 

scholarly journals Drivers of Infectious Disease Seasonality: Potential Implications for COVID-19

2021 ◽  
pp. 074873042098732
Author(s):  
N. Kronfeld-Schor ◽  
T. J. Stevenson ◽  
S. Nickbakhsh ◽  
E. S. Schernhammer ◽  
X. C. Dopico ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Preliminary Assessment ◽  
Epidemiological Evidence ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Human Coronaviruses ◽  
Induced Changes ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Timing Phase

Not 1 year has passed since the emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Since its emergence, great uncertainty has surrounded the potential for COVID-19 to establish as a seasonally recurrent disease. Many infectious diseases, including endemic human coronaviruses, vary across the year. They show a wide range of seasonal waveforms, timing (phase), and amplitudes, which differ depending on the geographical region. Drivers of such patterns are predominantly studied from an epidemiological perspective with a focus on weather and behavior, but complementary insights emerge from physiological studies of seasonality in animals, including humans. Thus, we take a multidisciplinary approach to integrate knowledge from usually distinct fields. First, we review epidemiological evidence of environmental and behavioral drivers of infectious disease seasonality. Subsequently, we take a chronobiological perspective and discuss within-host changes that may affect susceptibility, morbidity, and mortality from infectious diseases. Based on photoperiodic, circannual, and comparative human data, we not only identify promising future avenues but also highlight the need for further studies in animal models. Our preliminary assessment is that host immune seasonality warrants evaluation alongside weather and human behavior as factors that may contribute to COVID-19 seasonality, and that the relative importance of these drivers requires further investigation. A major challenge to predicting seasonality of infectious diseases are rapid, human-induced changes in the hitherto predictable seasonality of our planet, whose influence we review in a final outlook section. We conclude that a proactive multidisciplinary approach is warranted to predict, mitigate, and prevent seasonal infectious diseases in our complex, changing human-earth system.

scholarly journals Contagion Management at the Méditerranée Infection University Hospital Institute

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 2627
Author(s):  
Pierre-Edouard Fournier ◽  
Sophie Edouard ◽  
Nathalie Wurtz ◽  
Justine Raclot ◽  
Marion Bechet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Early Diagnosis ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Monitoring Point ◽  
Epidemiological Monitoring ◽  
Wide Range

The Méditerranée Infection University Hospital Institute (IHU) is located in a recent building, which includes experts on a wide range of infectious disease. The IHU strategy is to develop innovative tools, including epidemiological monitoring, point-of-care laboratories, and the ability to mass screen the population. In this study, we review the strategy and guidelines proposed by the IHU and its application to the COVID-19 pandemic and summarise the various challenges it raises. Early diagnosis enables contagious patients to be isolated and treatment to be initiated at an early stage to reduce the microbial load and contagiousness. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to deal with a shortage of personal protective equipment and reagents and a massive influx of patients. Between 27 January 2020 and 5 January 2021, 434,925 nasopharyngeal samples were tested for the presence of SARS-CoV-2. Of them, 12,055 patients with COVID-19 were followed up in our out-patient clinic, and 1888 patients were hospitalised in the Institute. By constantly adapting our strategy to the ongoing situation, the IHU has succeeded in expanding and upgrading its equipment and improving circuits and flows to better manage infected patients.

scholarly journals Determinants of vitamin D status in Kenyan calves

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Callaby ◽  
Emma Hurst ◽  
Ian Handel ◽  
Phil Toye ◽  
Barend M. de C. Bronsvoort ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Vitamin D ◽  
Health Outcomes ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Subsequent Development ◽  
Vitamin D Metabolites ◽  
Vitamin D Status ◽  
Skeletal Health ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractVitamin D plays a critical role in calcium homeostasis and in the maintenance and development of skeletal health. Vitamin D status has increasingly been linked to non-skeletal health outcomes such as all-cause mortality, infectious diseases and reproductive outcomes in both humans and veterinary species. We have previously demonstrated a relationship between vitamin D status, assessed by the measurement of serum concentrations of the major vitamin D metabolite 25 hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D), and a wide range of non-skeletal health outcomes in companion and wild animals. The aims of this study were to define the host and environmental factors associated with vitamin D status in a cohort of 527 calves from Western Kenya which were part of the Infectious Disease of East African Livestock (IDEAL) cohort. A secondary aim was to explore the relationship between serum 25(OH)D concentrations measured in 7-day old calves and subsequent health outcomes over the following 12 months. A genome wide association study demonstrated that both dietary and endogenously produced vitamin D metabolites were under polygenic control in African calves. In addition, we found that neonatal vitamin D status was not predictive of the subsequent development of an infectious disease event or mortality over the 12 month follow up period.

Analysis of high yielding maize production - a study based on a commercial crop

2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (3) ◽  
pp. 296 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. Birch ◽  
G. McLean ◽  
A. Sawers
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Analysis ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Sowing Date ◽  
Plant Population ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Maize Crop ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Commercial Crop ◽  
Reduced Temperature

This paper reports on the use of APSIM – Maize for retrospective analysis of performance of a high input, high yielding maize crop and analysis of predicted performance of maize grown with high inputs over the long-term (>100 years) for specified scenarios of environmental conditions (temperature and radiation) and agronomic inputs (sowing date, plant population, nitrogen fertiliser and irrigation) at Boort, Victoria, Australia. It uses a high yielding (17 400 kg/ha dry grain, 20 500 kg/ha at 15% water) commercial crop grown in 2004–05 as the basis of the study. Yield for the agronomic and environmental conditions of 2004–05 was predicted accurately, giving confidence that the model could be used for the detailed analyses undertaken. The analysis showed that the yield achieved was close to that possible with the conditions and agronomic inputs of 2004–05. Sowing dates during 21 September to 26 October had little effect on predicted yield, except when combined with reduced temperature. Single year and long-term analyses concluded that a higher plant population (11 plants/m2) is needed to optimise yield, but that slightly lower N and irrigation inputs are appropriate for the plant population used commercially (8.4 plants/m2). Also, compared with changes in agronomic inputs increases in temperature and/or radiation had relatively minor effects, except that reduced temperature reduces predicted yield substantially. This study provides an approach for the use of models for both retrospective analysis of crop performance and assessment of long-term variability of crop yield under a wide range of agronomic and environmental conditions.

ASSESSING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS DURING NATURAL DISASTER: THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RAPID ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT METHODOLOGY

2002 ◽  
Vol 04 (04) ◽  
pp. 475-492 ◽  
Author(s):  
CHARLES KELLY
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impact ◽  
Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Impact Assessment ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Damage ◽  
Assessment Procedure ◽  
Disaster Victims ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Impact

The linkages between disaster and environmental damage are recognized as important to predicting, preventing and mitigating the impact of disasters. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) procedures are well developed for non-ndisaster situations. However, they are conceptually and operationally inappropriate for use in disaster conditions, particularly in the first 120 days after the disaster has begun. The paper provides a conceptual overview of the requirements for an environmental impact assessment procedure appropriate for disaster conditions. These requirements are captured in guidelines for a Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment (REA) for use in disasters. The REA guides the collection and assessment of a wide range of factors which can indicate: (1) the negative impacts of a disaster on the environment, (2) the impacts of environmental conditions on the magnitude of a disaster and, (3) the positive or negative impacts of relief efforts on environmental conditions. The REA also provides a foundation for recovery program EIAs, thus improving the overall post disaster recovery process. The REA is designed primarily for relief cadres, but is also expected to be usable as an assessment tool with disaster victims. The paper discusses the field testing of the REA under actual disaster conditions.

scholarly journals Ozone damage, detoxification and the role of isoprenoids – new impetus for integrated models

2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 324 ◽  
Author(s):  
Supriya Tiwari ◽  
Rüdiger Grote ◽  
Galina Churkina ◽  
Tim Butler
Keyword(s):  
Stomatal Conductance ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Damage Scenarios ◽  
Biochemical Processes ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Defence Responses ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
The Impact

High concentrations of ozone (O3) can have significant impacts on the health and productivity of agricultural and forest ecosystems, leading to significant economic losses. In order to estimate this impact under a wide range of environmental conditions, the mechanisms of O3 impacts on physiological and biochemical processes have been intensively investigated. This includes the impact on stomatal conductance, the formation of reactive oxygen species and their effects on enzymes and membranes, as well as several induced and constitutive defence responses. This review summarises these processes, discusses their importance for O3 damage scenarios and assesses to which degree this knowledge is currently used in ecosystem models which are applied for impact analyses. We found that even in highly sophisticated models, feedbacks affecting regulation, detoxification capacity and vulnerability are generally not considered. This implies that O3 inflicted alterations in carbon and water balances cannot be sufficiently well described to cover immediate plant responses under changing environmental conditions. Therefore, we suggest conceptual models that link the depicted feedbacks to available process-based descriptions of stomatal conductance, photosynthesis and isoprenoid formation, particularly the linkage to isoprenoid models opens up new options for describing biosphere-atmosphere interactions.

Distribution, feeding behaviour, and condition of Cape horse mackerel early life stages, Trachurus capensis, under different environmental conditions in the northern Benguela upwelling ecosystem

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Geist ◽  
A. Kunzmann ◽  
H. M. Verheye ◽  
A. Eggert ◽  
A. Schukat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Horse Mackerel ◽  
Larval Phase ◽  
Recruitment Success ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Variable Recruitment

Abstract Early life history (ELH) traits are key to understand variable recruitment success and hence the stock size of marine fish. One of the currently most puzzling ecosystems in this regard is the northern part of the Benguela Current upwelling system off Namibia. Here, populations of the formerly dominant pelagic species, sardine and anchovy, failed to recover during the last three decades after a dramatic decline. In contrast, Cape horse mackerel, Trachurus capensis, maintained a constant population size. Warming of the system and shoaling of hypoxic zones together with feedback loops within an altered foodweb are discussed to be responsible for this regime shift. In this study, we address the role of larval traits for the successful performance of the T. capensis population under the present environmental conditions with the focus on feeding ecology. We investigated seasonal variations of the geographical distribution, growth rate, feeding ecology, and nutritional condition of their ELH stages and examined relationships with water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and micro-zooplankton composition. T. capensis' ELH stages showed a wide spatial and seasonal distribution, a preference for higher water temperatures (18–21°C) and presence over a wide range of dissolved oxygen concentrations (0.13–6.35 ml O2 l−1). Feeding success was high and mainly different groups of Copepoda were targeted, which were strongly size selected. The high dietary importance of micro-copepods during large parts of the larval phase indicates successful exploitation of this food source, which has increased in abundance during the last decade. It also explains observed best nutritional conditions at temperatures between 18 and 21°C, since these small copepods are commonly associated with warmer temperatures. Altogether, these traits enhance the species' probability to encounter suitable environments for the survival of their ELH stages, which is likely to lead to their high recruitment success in the northern Benguela ecosystem.

Urochloa platyphylla (broadleaf signalgrass).

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julissa Rojas-Sandoval ◽  
Pedro Acevedo-Rodríguez
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Crop Residue ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Crop Fields ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Germinating Seeds

Abstract U. platyphylla is a weedy grass species commonly found in disturbed, open and sandy sites such as crop fields, ditches and roadsides. It is considered a troublesome weed because of its tolerance to some herbicides principally in maize plantations (Chamblee et al., 1982; Gallaher et al.,1999). U. platyphylla is highly adaptable and it is able to germinate and grow throughout a wide range of soil and environmental conditions (Burke et al., 2003). Additionally, its seeds may remain on the crop residue until pre-emergence herbicides are no longer effective in controlling the germinating seeds, at which time the seeds fall to the soil surface and germinate (Alford et al., 2005).

scholarly journals Separating damage from environmental effects affecting civil structures for near real-time damage detection

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 850-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Soo Lon Wah ◽  
Yung-Tsang Chen ◽  
Gethin Wyn Roberts ◽  
Ahmed Elamin
Keyword(s):  
Damage Detection ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Environmental Effects ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Detection Methods ◽  
Real Time Monitoring ◽  
Civil Structures ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Wide Range

Analyzing changes in vibration properties (e.g. natural frequencies) of structures as a result of damage has been heavily used by researchers for damage detection of civil structures. These changes, however, are not only caused by damage of the structural components, but they are also affected by the varying environmental conditions the structures are faced with, such as the temperature change, which limits the use of most damage detection methods presented in the literature that did not account for these effects. In this article, a damage detection method capable of distinguishing between the effects of damage and of the changing environmental conditions affecting damage sensitivity features is proposed. This method eliminates the need to form the baseline of the undamaged structure using damage sensitivity features obtained from a wide range of environmental conditions, as conventionally has been done, and utilizes features from two extreme and opposite environmental conditions as baselines. To allow near real-time monitoring, subsequent measurements are added one at a time to the baseline to create new data sets. Principal component analysis is then introduced for processing each data set so that patterns can be extracted and damage can be distinguished from environmental effects. The proposed method is tested using a two-dimensional truss structure and validated using measurements from the Z24 Bridge which was monitored for nearly a year, with damage scenarios applied to it near the end of the monitoring period. The results demonstrate the robustness of the proposed method for damage detection under changing environmental conditions. The method also works despite the nonlinear effects produced by environmental conditions on damage sensitivity features. Moreover, since each measurement is allowed to be analyzed one at a time, near real-time monitoring is possible. Damage progression can also be given from the method which makes it advantageous for damage evolution monitoring.

Evaluation of two-diode-model of a solar panel in a wide range of environmental conditions

2011 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 357-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohsen Taherbaneh ◽  
A. H. Rezaie ◽  
H. Ghafoorifard ◽  
K. Rahimi ◽  
M. B. Menhaj ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Solar Panel ◽  
Wide Range
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