The Biology of Invasive Alien Plants in Canada. 1. Eriochloa villosa (Thunb.) Kunth

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 987-999 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Darbyshire ◽  
C. E. Wilson ◽  
K. Allison
Keyword(s):  
Growing Season ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Midwest United States ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Mechanical Methods ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Soil Temperatures ◽  
Eriochloa Villosa

The annual grass weed Eriochloa villosa, woolly cup grass, was reported for the first time in Canada in 2000, in southwestern Quebec. It is a serious agricultural pest of field crops in the Midwest United States where it has been difficult and expensive to control. The production of stolons early in the growing season and the extensive branching of stems later in the season mean that single plants occupy and disperse seed over a large area. Cleistogamous flowers ensure good seed set, and plants produce large numbers of seeds. After an initial spring germination flush, seeds continue to germinate throughout the growing season resulting in escapes from early control measures. The large seeds can germinate and emerge under a wide range of soil temperatures and soil depths. Woolly cup grass is tolerant of many herbicides and effective control in agro-ecosystems usually depends on integrated strategies of multiple herbicide applications, cultural and mechanical methods. The above biological features and its presence in a number of bordering States suggest that the species is a potential weed hazard in southern Canada, particularly in areas of corn and soybean production in Quebec and Ontario. Key words: Eriochloa villosa, woolly cup grass, ERBVI, weed biology, invasive alien

DISPERSAL PATTERN OF BLACK FLIES (DIPTERA: SIMULIIDAE) TAGGED WITH 32P

1975 ◽  
Vol 107 (2) ◽  
pp. 113-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. F. Baldwin ◽  
A. S. West ◽  
John Gomery
Keyword(s):  
Control Measures ◽  
Black Flies ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Dispersal Pattern ◽  
Ottawa River ◽  
Normal Distribution Curve ◽  
Critical Areas ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Release Area ◽  
Autoradiographic Technique

AbstractLarge numbers of black flies, mostly Simulium venustum Say, were labelled as larvae with 32P and released in rapids in the Chalk River near the village of Chalk River, Ont., to complete development and disperse as adults. Flies were trapped over a 900 square mile area for 3 months after the release, and radioactive flies from the traps were identified at CRNL by means of an autoradiographic technique. The distance travelled by the flies could be described by a normal distribution curve, with the average migration between 5.8 to 8.2 miles. A few individuals were trapped at a distance of 22 miles 2 days after emergence, and some crossed the Ottawa River which is at least a mile wide at the point nearest the release area. Some traps caught very high numbers of radioactive flies, one at about 6 miles from the release center accounting for more than 1300 tagged flies. The traps giving the highest number of tagged flies (e.g., > 100) were clustered in two distinctive areas, one west and one large area south of the release point. The results indicate that control measures should be applied to black fly streams at least 10 miles from critical areas such as towns.

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus

2021 ◽  
Vol 42 (06) ◽  
pp. 828-838
Author(s):  
Jaffar A. Al-Tawfiq ◽  
Esam I. Azhar ◽  
Ziad A. Memish ◽  
Alimuddin Zumla
Keyword(s):  
Middle East ◽  
Community Education ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Severe Disease ◽  
Genomic Analysis ◽  
Middle East Respiratory Syndrome ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractThe past two decades have witnessed the emergence of three zoonotic coronaviruses which have jumped species to cause lethal disease in humans: severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 1 (SARS-CoV-1), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2. MERS-CoV emerged in Saudi Arabia in 2012 and the origins of MERS-CoV are not fully understood. Genomic analysis indicates it originated in bats and transmitted to camels. Human-to-human transmission occurs in varying frequency, being highest in healthcare environment and to a lesser degree in the community and among family members. Several nosocomial outbreaks of human-to-human transmission have occurred, the largest in Riyadh and Jeddah in 2014 and South Korea in 2015. MERS-CoV remains a high-threat pathogen identified by World Health Organization as a priority pathogen because it causes severe disease that has a high mortality rate, epidemic potential, and no medical countermeasures. MERS-CoV has been identified in dromedaries in several countries in the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia. MERS-CoV-2 causes a wide range of clinical presentations, although the respiratory system is predominantly affected. There are no specific antiviral treatments, although recent trials indicate that combination antivirals may be useful in severely ill patients. Diagnosing MERS-CoV early and implementation infection control measures are critical to preventing hospital-associated outbreaks. Preventing MERS relies on avoiding unpasteurized or uncooked animal products, practicing safe hygiene habits in health care settings and around dromedaries, community education and awareness training for health workers, as well as implementing effective control measures. Effective vaccines for MERS-COV are urgently needed but still under development.

scholarly journals Use of Aerial Photography to Detect Diseases in Peanut Fields I. Sclerotinia Blight1

1976 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-24
Author(s):  
N. L. Powell ◽  
D. M. Porter ◽  
D. E. Pettry
Keyword(s):  
Aerial Photography ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Spectral Signature ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Infrared Imagery ◽  
False Color ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Aerial Surveys ◽  
Sclerotinia Blight

Abstract Aerial surveys were conducted over portions of Southampton County, Virginia, during the 1974 growing season. The flights were conducted to determine the spectral, spatial, and temporal characteristics of Sclerotinia blight in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) fields caused by the soil-borne fungus Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Natural color and false color infrared imagery were used in the aerial surveys. Disease detection was best using false color infrared imagery. Sclerotinia blight, characterized by a unique spectral signature, can be detected on false color infrared imagery taken at 19,803 m above mean sea level. High altitude flights (19,803 m) were better for large area disease surveys. However, low altitude flights (3,504 m) gave better resolution for detailed study of individual fields. Aerial photography detected disease patterns which were difficult to observe from the ground. Early detection of the disease via aerial surveys could aid in minimizing disease severity. Imagery will also provide historical data that can be used in implementing control measures in subsequent growing seasons. Imagery evaluation indicates that Sclerotinia blight was widespread in the peanut growing region of Virginia during the 1974 growing season.

scholarly journals Emergence of Viral Infections through Food Supply Chain: A Review

2020 ◽  
pp. 83-90
Author(s):  
Rafiya Munshi ◽  
Afsah Iqbal
Keyword(s):  
Human Body ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Viral Infections ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Severe Illness ◽  
Global Epidemic ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The World ◽  
Wet Market

All living organisms may act as host to a wide range of viruses, and can infect the human body causing severe illness or even death. Viruses have often been important in burdening infections and other illnesses and require special attention because of their different behaviour as compared to bacteria. Two highly pathogenic corona-viruses—severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS)—supposed to be emerged from an wet market in china resulted in a global epidemic which took a tool on human lives and currently also the world is fighting a deadliest viral infection caused by a small pathogen possibly transmitted through the food chain in a wet market again in china. The environment is the reservoirs for many of these viruses and any human handling of animals carrying such viruses finds an easy route into human body. Besides, there had been various food borne outbreaks throughout the world due to contaminated agricultural produce, packaging, processed foods or through infected food handlers. Such incidents have prioritized the need for effective control measures, intensified research and risk assessment measures in controlling such outbreaks. This review highlights a brief description of viral transmissions, virus and human gut response and preventable strategies in the food chain to contain such infections.

Platynota flavedana Clem. (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae) on Citrus in Jamaica

1967 ◽  
Vol 57 (3) ◽  
pp. 399-404
Author(s):  
J. Strangways-Dixon
Keyword(s):  
Biological Control ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Flower Buds ◽  
Comprehensive Investigation ◽  
The Past ◽  
Natural Factors ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Platynota Flavedana ◽  
Do So

Platynota flavedana Clem. (Lepidoptera, Torticidae), the ‘fruit-dropping caterpillar’ or ‘citrus tortrix’, is an important but sporadic pest of Citrus in Jamaica.Damage is confined to part of the period between April and June, and in a heavy attack large numbers of young Citrus fruits, each bearing a scar or hole in the area shielded by the sepals, are found beneath the trees. At other times of the year the insect is present in the orchards in small numbers only.In the field, the eggs, which are laid in clusters, were found on the leaves of Citrus, the larvae in webbing tunnels, usually beneath the sepals of young fruits but also between leaves drawn together with silk, and the pupae within the webbing. Fertilished females isolated in 3 × l-in. glass subes oviposited readily and continued to do so for rather less than a week. The incubation period of the eggs was 6.5 days. Preliminary experments showed that the young larvae require either new, rapidly growing leaves or young fruits of diameter less than ½ in., and a technique for rearing individual larvae in described. The durations of the larvae and pupal phases were 17–35 and 5–10 days, respectively.In the past, chemical control measures had been attempted when large numbers of small fruits had already fallen. It is suggested that such measures cannot be effective because the hardness of texture, that makes them unsuitable for the development of young larvae. Some evidence is provided of effective control by natural factors, throught to be of a pathogenic nature, and it is recommended that the possibility of biological control should be investigated. The difficulties of fitting biological control into the pattern of routine fungicidal spray-applications is mentioned.It is concluded that a comprehensive investigation of both chemical and biological control is necessary, and it is suggested that in areas where outbreaks of the pest occur at all regulary it would be wise, meanwhile, to apply an insecticide, preferably when the new leaves and flower buds are developing and at latest before completioon of petal-fall.

scholarly journals Recent Advances in the Monitoring, Assessment and Management of Forest Pathogens and Pests

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 1623
Author(s):  
Salvatore Moricca ◽  
Tiziana Panzavolta
Keyword(s):  
Energy Flow ◽  
Applied Research ◽  
Forest Health ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Innovative Methods ◽  
Pest Outbreaks ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Experimental Approaches

Tree pathogens and pests are fundamental components of forest ecosystems. By killing and decomposing susceptible trees, they regulate the cycle of nutrients and energy flow, thus shaping the structure and composition of forest stands. However, ecosystems can be seriously disrupted when the population density of these parasites increases beyond their tolerance level. Ascertaining the origin of pathogen and pest outbreaks, recognizing their causal agents in a precise and unequivocal way, while understanding their reproductive and dispersive dynamics are all crucial for the implementation of effective control measures. The studies collected in this special issue cover a wide range of topics in the field of forest pathology and entomology. Investigations range from molecular diagnosis of pathogens and pests to their monitoring and quantification in the field, from measurements of their proliferation rate to the analysis of their genetic variability, from the assessment of the role of plant diversity and ecosystem heterogeneity on pathogen and pest impacts to disease and pest management. Specific case studies show how applied research conducted with innovative methods is key to solving taxonomic issues that were, until now, controversial. The variety of experimental approaches and the range of scientific issues addressed document the trends and topicality of modern forest health protection science.

Diagnosis of Noise Radiation Mechanisms from a Wind Turbine Generator

2004 ◽  
Vol 1-2 ◽  
pp. 59-64
Author(s):  
M.F. Harper ◽  
M. Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Wind Turbine ◽  
Turbine Blades ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
Radiation Mechanisms ◽  
General Applicability ◽  
Noise Radiation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Noise Transmission ◽  
Damping Treatments

Noise from a source such as an engine or gearbox can travel through a surrounding structure by many routes. It can be very difficult to reduce noise transmission to the environment or to operators or passengers, because many paths contribute to the transmission and it may not be clear which need to be treated. In order to apply effective control measures, it is very helpful to start with knowledge of the relative importance of the various possible paths. We report on a method that allows the strengths of the different paths to be quantified and ranked in order of importance, without having to dismantle or disconnect the system. Having measured these, and then having measured the levels of noise being injected into each path by the engine or gearbox, the contribution of each path to transmitted noise can then be estimated. Finally the noise reduction obtained by treating any desired combination of paths can be predicted. We refer to the method as “Transmission Path Audit” (TPA). The method was applied to an operating wind turbine that was giving noise problems. A TPA was carried out: it indicated that the problem was due to the turbine blades and tower, which between them radiated the bulk of the noise at three different tonal frequencies. Based on these results, damping treatments were applied to the blades and tower, and noise radiation was reduced to acceptable levels. The TPA method has very general applicability, and can be used to characterise noise transmission through a wide range of structures. It is likely to be particularly useful in tracing transmission paths through vehicles, from the power plant to the passenger space. Its novelty lies in its being entirely non-intrusive.

COVID-19 Outbreak Prediction with Machine Learning

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sina Faizollahzadeh Ardabili ◽  
Amir Mosavi ◽  
Pedram Ghamisi ◽  
Filip Ferdinand ◽  
Annamaria R. Varkonyi-Koczy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Prediction Models ◽  
Fuzzy Inference ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Inference System ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Standard Models ◽  
High Level

Several outbreak prediction models for COVID-19 are being used by officials around the world to make informed-decisions and enforce relevant control measures. Among the standard models for COVID-19 global pandemic prediction, simple epidemiological and statistical models have received more attention by authorities, and they are popular in the media. Due to a high level of uncertainty and lack of essential data, standard models have shown low accuracy for long-term prediction. Although the literature includes several attempts to address this issue, the essential generalization and robustness abilities of existing models needs to be improved. This paper presents a comparative analysis of machine learning and soft computing models to predict the COVID-19 outbreak as an alternative to SIR and SEIR models. Among a wide range of machine learning models investigated, two models showed promising results (i.e., multi-layered perceptron, MLP, and adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system, ANFIS). Based on the results reported here, and due to the highly complex nature of the COVID-19 outbreak and variation in its behavior from nation-to-nation, this study suggests machine learning as an effective tool to model the outbreak. This paper provides an initial benchmarking to demonstrate the potential of machine learning for future research. Paper further suggests that real novelty in outbreak prediction can be realized through integrating machine learning and SEIR models.

Characterizing the effectiveness of COVID-19 mitigation measures: A data-centric approach (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukman Olagoke ◽  
Ahmet E. Topcu
Keyword(s):  
Control Measure ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
World Health ◽  
Mitigation Measures ◽  
Effective Control ◽  
The World ◽  
Decision Making Processes ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
The Impact

BACKGROUND COVID-19 represents a serious threat to both national health and economic systems. To curb this pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued a series of COVID-19 public safety guidelines. Different countries around the world initiated different measures in line with the WHO guidelines to mitigate and investigate the spread of COVID-19 in their territories. OBJECTIVE The aim of this paper is to quantitatively evaluate the effectiveness of these control measures using a data-centric approach. METHODS We begin with a simple text analysis of coronavirus-related articles and show that reports on similar outbreaks in the past strongly proposed similar control measures. This reaffirms the fact that these control measures are in order. Subsequently, we propose a simple performance statistic that quantifies general performance and performance under the different measures that were initiated. A density based clustering of based on performance statistic was carried out to group countries based on performance. RESULTS The performance statistic helps evaluate quantitatively the impact of COVID-19 control measures. Countries tend show variability in performance under different control measures. The performance statistic has negative correlation with cases of death which is a useful characteristics for COVID-19 control measure performance analysis. A web-based time-line visualization that enables comparison of performances and cases across continents and subregions is presented. CONCLUSIONS The performance metric is relevant for the analysis of the impact of COVID-19 control measures. This can help caregivers and policymakers identify effective control measures and reduce cases of death due to COVID-19. The interactive web visualizer provides easily digested and quick feedback to augment decision-making processes in the COVID-19 response measures evaluation. CLINICALTRIAL Not Applicable

Heritability of the Effect of Corticosteroids on Intraocular Pressure

1970 ◽  
Vol 19 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 264-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
F.H. Reuling ◽  
J.T. Schwartz
Keyword(s):  
Intraocular Pressure ◽  
Clinical Signs ◽  
Topical Steroids ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Steroid Response ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Allele Pair ◽  
High Level ◽  
Genetically Determined

In the late 1950's and early 1960's, it became evident that some glaucoma patients developed elevations of intraocular pressure, which were difficult to control, following prolonged use of systemic or ocular medications containing corticosteroids (Chandler, 1955, Alfano, 1963; Armaly, 1963). In addition, some patients without glaucoma, when treated with steroids for long periods of time, developed clinical signs of chronic simple glaucoma (McLean, 1950; François, 1954; Covell, 1958; Linner, 1959; Goldman, 1962). Fortunately, the elevation of intraocular pressure was reversible if the drug was discontinued.Over the past decade, extensive investigation of the “steroid response” has been undertaken. For this presentation, the steroid response may be considered as a gradual elevation of intraocular pressure, occurring over several weeks, in an eye being medicated with corticosteroid drops several times a day. The elevation in pressure is usually accompanied by a reduction in the facility of aqueous outflow. When relatively large numbers of subjects were tested with topical steroids, so that a wide range of responsiveness could be observed, a variation in individual sensitivity was demonstrated. Frequency distributions of intraocular pressure or change in pressure following steroids showed a skew toward the high side. On the basis of trimodal characteristics which they observed in such frequency distributions, Becker and Hahn (1964), Becker (1965) and Armaly (1965, 1966) considered the possible existence of several genetically determined subpopulations. These investigators distinguished three subpopulations on the basis of low, intermediate, and high levels of pressure response. It was hypothesized that these levels of response characterized three phenotypes, corresponding to the three possible genotypes of an allele pair, wherein one member of the pair determined a low level of response, and the other member determined a high level of response (Armaly, 1967).

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