scholarly journals Automated Identification of Citizen Science Observations for Ecological Studies

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25450
Author(s):  
Pierre Bonnet ◽  
Christophe Botella ◽  
François Munoz ◽  
Pascal Monestiez ◽  
Mathias Chouet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Learning Technologies ◽  
Melia Azedarach ◽  
Automated Identification ◽  
Tropical Regions ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Us ◽  
Unique Material ◽  
Project Data

Pl@ntNet is an international initiative which was the first one attempting to combine the force of citizens networks with automated identification tools based on machine learning technologies (Joly et al. 2014). Launched in 2009 by a consortium involving research institutes in computer sciences, ecology and agriculture, it was the starting point of several scientific and technological productions (Goëau et al. 2012) which finally led to the first release of the Pl@ntNet app (iOS in February 2013 (Goëau et al. 2013) and Android (Goëau et al. 2014) the following year). Initially based on 800 plant species, the app was progressively enlarged to thousands of species of the European, North American and tropical regions. Nowadays, the app covers more than 15 000 species and is adapted to 22 regional and thematic contexts, such as the Andean plant species, the wild salads of southern Europe, the indigenous trees species of South Africa, the flora of the Indian Ocean Islands, the New Caledonian Flora, etc. The app is translated in 11 languages and is being used by more than 3 millions of end-users all over the world, mostly in Europe and the US. The analysis of the data collected by Pl@ntnet users, which represent more than 24 millions of observations up to now, has a high potential for different ecological and management questions. A recent work (Botella et al. 2018), in particular, did show that the stream of Pl@ntNet observations could allow a fine-grained and regular monitoring of some species of interest such as invasive ones. However, this requires cautious considerations about the contexts in which the application is used. In this talk, we will synthesize the results of this study and present another one related to phenology. Indeed, as the phenological stage of the observed plants is also recorded, these data offer a rich and unique material for phenological studies at large geographical or taxonomical scale. We will share preliminary results obtained on some important pantropical species (such as the Melia azedarach L., and the Lantana camara L.), for which we have detected significant intercontinental phenological patterns, among the project data.

Holism, Chinese Medicine and Systems Ideologies: Rewriting the Past to Imagine the Future

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Volker Scheid
Keyword(s):  
Eighteenth Century ◽  
Chinese Medicine ◽  
Medical Humanities ◽  
Science And Technology Studies ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
The Past ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Us ◽  
Shared Objective ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter explores the articulations that have emerged over the last half century between various types of holism, Chinese medicine and systems biology. Given the discipline’s historical attachments to a definition of ‘medicine’ that rather narrowly refers to biomedicine as developed in Europe and the US from the eighteenth century onwards, the medical humanities are not the most obvious starting point for such an inquiry. At the same time, they do offer one advantage over neighbouring disciplines like medical history, anthropology or science and technology studies for someone like myself, a clinician as well as a historian and anthropologist: their strong commitment to the objective of facilitating better medical practice. This promise furthermore links to the wider project of critique, which, in Max Horkheimer’s definition of the term, aims at change and emancipation in order ‘to liberate human beings from the circumstances that enslave them’. If we take the critical medical humanities as explicitly affirming this shared objective and responsibility, extending the discipline’s traditional gaze is not a burden but becomes, in fact, an obligation.

Remediation of heavy metal polluted soil by utilizing organic amendments and two plant species (Ailanthus altissima and Melia azedarach)

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Mohebzadeh ◽  
Babak Motesharezadeh ◽  
Mohammad Jafari ◽  
Salman Zare ◽  
Maryam Saffari Aman
Keyword(s):  
Heavy Metal ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Organic Amendments ◽  
Polluted Soil ◽  
Ailanthus Altissima ◽  
Melia Azedarach

scholarly journals Saudi anti-human cancer plants database (SACPD): A collection of plants with anti-human cancer activities

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ateeq Ahmed Al-Zahrani
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cell Lines ◽  
Anticancer Drugs ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Human Cancer ◽  
Cancer Cell Lines ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Excellent Starting Point ◽  
Starting Point

Several anticancer drugs have been developed from natural products such as plants. Successful experiments in inhibiting the growth of human cancer cell lines using Saudi plants were published over the last three decades. Up to date, there is no Saudi anticancer plants database as a comprehensive source for the interesting data generated from these experiments. Therefore, there was a need for creating a database to collect, organize, search and retrieve such data. As a result, the current paper describes the generation of the Saudi anti-human cancer plants database (SACPD). The database contains most of the reported information about the naturally growing Saudi anticancer plants. SACPD comprises the scientific and local names of 91 plant species that grow naturally in Saudi Arabia. These species belong to 38 different taxonomic families. In Addition, 18 species that represent16 family of medicinal plants and are intensively sold in the local markets in Saudi Arabia were added to the database. The website provides interesting details, including plant part containing the anticancer bioactive compounds, plants locations and cancer/cell type against which they exhibit their anticancer activity. Our survey revealed that breast, liver and leukemia were the most studied cancer cell lines in Saudi Arabia with percentages of 27%, 19% and 15%, respectively. The current SACPD represents a nucleus around which more development efforts can expand to accommodate all future submissions about new Saudi plant species with anticancer activities. SACPD will provide an excellent starting point for researchers and pharmaceutical companies who are interested in developing new anticancer drugs. SACPD is available online at https://teeqrani1.wixsite.com/sapd

scholarly journals Aspiration in injections: should we continue or abandon the practice?

F1000Research ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
Yasir Sepah ◽  
Lubna Samad ◽  
Arshad Altaf ◽  
Muhammad Sohail Halim ◽  
Nithya Rajagopalan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Medical Association ◽  
Simple Procedure ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
Monitoring Network ◽  
Nursing Schools ◽  
Global Network ◽  
World Health ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Us

Aspiration during any kind of injection is meant to ensure that the needle tip is at the desired location during this blind procedure. While aspiration appears to be a simple procedure, it has generated a lot of controversy concerning the perceived benefits and indications. Advocates and opponents of aspiration both make logically sound claims. However, due to scarcity of available data, there is no evidence that this procedure is truly beneficial or unwarranted. Keeping in view the huge number of injections given worldwide, it is important that we draw attention to key questions regarding aspiration that, up till now, remain unanswered. In this review, we have attempted to gather and present literature on aspiration both from published and non-published sources in order to provide not only an exhaustive review of the subject, but also a starting point for further studies on more specific areas requiring clarification. A literature review was conducted using the US National Institute of Health’s PubMed service (including Medline), Google Scholar and Scopus. Guidelines provided by the World Health Organization, Safe Injection Global Network, International Council of Nursing, Center for Disease Control, US Federal Drug Agency, UK National Health Services, British Medical Association, Europe Nursing and Midwifery Council, Public Health Agency Canada, Pakistan Medical Association and International Organization of Standardization recommendations 7886 parts 1-4 for sterile hypodermics were reviewed for relevant information. In addition, curricula of several medical/nursing schools from India, Nigeria and Pakistan, the US pharmacopeia Data from the WHO Program for International Drug Monitoring network in regard to adverse events as a result of not aspirating prior to injection delivery were reviewed. Curricula of selected major medical/nursing schools in India, Nigeria and Pakistan, national therapeutic formularies, product inserts of most commonly used drugs and other possible sources of information regarding aspiration and injections were consulted as well.

scholarly journals Feminist Scholarship and Its Relevance for Political Engagement: The Test Case of Abortion in the US

2011 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-43
Author(s):  
Margaret D. Kamitsuka
Keyword(s):  
Identity Politics ◽  
Political Engagement ◽  
Religious Studies ◽  
Test Case ◽  
Theoretical Perspectives ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Ethical Thinking ◽  
Societal Dynamics

This essay explores how gender studies in academe, including in religious studies, might remain relevant to ongoing feminist political engagement. I explore some specific dynamics of this challenge, using as my test case the issue of abortion in the US. After discussing how three formative feminist principles (women’s experience as feminism’s starting point, the personal is political, and identity politics) have shaped approaches to the abortion issue for feminist scholars in religion, I argue that ongoing critique, new theoretical perspectives, and attentiveness to subaltern voices are necessary for these foundational feminist principles to keep pace with fast-changing and complex societal dynamics relevant to women’s struggles for reproductive health and justice. The essay concludes by proposing natality as a helpful concept for future feminist theological and ethical thinking on the subject.

scholarly journals Janus Face of Inflation Targeting_Walter_PrePrint

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timo Walter
Keyword(s):  
Monetary Policy ◽  
Inflation Targeting ◽  
Recent Trend ◽  
Central Banks ◽  
Fine Tuning ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Prototype Development ◽  
The Us ◽  
Fundamental Uncertainty ◽  
Overall Effectiveness

In the 1980s, central banks around the world stumbled upon a new method for conducting theirmonetary policy: instead of the heavy-handed, „hydraulic“ manipulation of monetary aggregates,they learned to „govern the future“ by managing the expectations of market actors directly.New and better indicators and forecasts would provide the basis for a new communicativecoordination of markets expectations, permitting a more fine-grained and effective implementationof monetary policy, particular in controlling inflation.Focusing on the US Federal Reserve’s prototype development of inflation-targeting, this paper putsthis storyline to the test. Against the recent trend in sociology to conceive of expectations andfuturity as modes of coordination that thrive under conditions of (fundamental) uncertainty that defyrational calculation, I argue that futurity and the formation expectations inextricably depend onprior processes of formalization.Examining the transition to modern ‘inflation targeting’ monetary policy, I show how theeffectiveness of coordination by expectation is achieved by extensive processes of proceduralizationand standardization. While increasing the technical efficiency of fine-tuning expectations, thesegains are only possible because of the procedural narrowing of the scope of communicativeinteraction, which may significantly affect the overall effectiveness of this mode of coordination.I conclude with a call to more closely examine how formal and informal modes of coordination aremutually interdependent – and how the nature of their entanglements affects their effectiveness.

scholarly journals Militarization, slow violence, and the emerging threat of condemnation in Hawai‘i

2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 3.1-3.12
Author(s):  
N. Mahina Tuteur
Keyword(s):  
Active Role ◽  
Kanaka Maoli ◽  
Public Purpose ◽  
Us Military ◽  
Military Presence ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Cost ◽  
The Military ◽  
Fair Market Value

This article examines the environmental impacts of the US military presence in Hawaii, looking specifically at the federal government’s power to condemn land for a ‘public purpose’ under the US Constitution. In 2018, the Hawaii Supreme Court ruled that the State of Hawaii failed its duty to properly manage 23,000 acres of lands leased to the military at Pōhakuloa and must take an active role in preserving trust property. With the expiration of this lease (and several others) approaching in 2029, controversy is stirring as to whether the military will simply condemn these lands if the cost of clean-up is greater than the land’s fair-market value at the expiration of the lease. In other words, as long as it remains cheaper for the military to pollute and condemn than it is for it to restore, what options do we have for legal and political recourse? Considering grassroots movements’ strategic use of media and legal action through an environmental justice lens, this article provides a starting point to consider avenues for ensuring proper clean-up of these lands, and ultimately, negotiating for their return to Kānaka Maoli.

scholarly journals The economics of merger appraisal: analysis of best practices

2019 ◽  
pp. 60-67
Author(s):  
V. Pruzhansky
Keyword(s):  
Cost Savings ◽  
Structural Factors ◽  
Barriers To Entry ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Market Shares ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Customer Switching ◽  
The Us ◽  
Buyer Power ◽  
Merger Remedies

The article briefly outlines key economic principles that are used for merger appraisal in Europe and the US. We consider three most typical cases: horizontal, vertical and conglomerate mergers. We explain the main positive and negative effects that typically arise in each case. We point that the analysis of structural factors (levels of industry concentration and market shares) and barriers to entry can serve only as a starting point of the merger appraisal process. Other indicators such as closeness of competition, countervailing buyer power and customer switching, counter-reactions of rivals, levels of profitability, cost savings are far more important for the analysis of merger effects on consumers and competition. In addition, we describe general economic principles with regards to merger remedies.

Herbal Remedies

1995 ◽  
Vol 11 (5) ◽  
pp. 214-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Varro E Tyler
Keyword(s):  
Dietary Supplements ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Human Consumption ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Herbal Products ◽  
Study Selection ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
The Us ◽  
Botanical Medicine ◽  
Effective Drugs

Objective: To provide an overview of basic information required by pharmacists to advise patients on the proper use of selected herbs and phytomedicines (“dietary supplements”) as therapeutic agents. Data Sources: The vast literature on this topic in the English, German, and French languages has been researched by the author over a period of many years. Databases that were used include NAPRALERT and MEDLINE. Study Selection: Articles and books dealing with the current popularity of botanical medicine and with laws and regulations covering so-called dietary supplements, as well as information on selected toxic herbs and a few of the most popular beneficial herbs used for treating common ailments and syndromes. Data Synthesis: Studies suggest that many herbal products currently available are both safe and effective drugs. A few products on the US market are definitely unsafe for human consumption and use. Conclusions: The increasing popularity of botanicals, coupled with regulations that prohibit definitive labeling, requires pharmacists to acquire accurate information based on scientifically and clinically acceptable data to advise patients on their use. Useful remedies for several common ailments and information concerning their safety and usefulness provide a starting point for an understanding of this complex field.

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