scholarly journals Meta-Analysis of a Web-Based Disease Forecast System for Control of Anthracnose and Botrytis Fruit Rots of Strawberry in Southeastern United States

Plant Disease ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 101 (11) ◽  
pp. 1910-1917 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leandro G. Cordova ◽  
Laurence V. Madden ◽  
Achour Amiri ◽  
Guido Schnabel ◽  
Natalia A. Peres
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Fruit Rot ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Colletotrichum Acutatum ◽  
Web Based ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Disease Forecast ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Marketable Fruit

Strawberry production in Florida and South Carolina is affected by two major diseases, anthracnose fruit rot (AFR) and Botrytis fruit rot (BFR), caused by Colletotrichum acutatum and Botrytis cinerea, respectively. The effective management of both diseases traditionally relied on weekly fungicide applications. However, to improve timing and reduce the number of fungicide sprays, many growers follow the Strawberry Advisory System (StAS), a decision support system for forecasting fungicide applications based on environmental conditions and previously developed models. The objective of this study was to perform a meta-analysis to determine the effectiveness of the StAS for AFR and BFR management compared with a calendar-based spray program. Thirty-nine trials were conducted from 2009 to 2014 in Florida and South Carolina commercial strawberry fields. Meta-analysis was conducted to quantify the treatment effects on four effect sizes, all based on the difference in response variables for StAS and the calendar-based treatments in each trial. The mean difference in BFR incidence, AFR incidence, yield, and number of marketable fruit between the two treatments was not significantly different from 0 (P < 0.05). However, the number of fungicide applications per season was reduced by a median of seven when using the StAS, a 50% reduction in sprays compared with the calendar-based approach. Effect sizes were not influenced by location or the favorability of the environment for disease development. These findings indicate that use of StAS in commercial fields is effective in controlling fruit rot diseases with no reduction in yield while substantially reducing fungicide applications.

scholarly journals Pre-post effect sizes should be avoided in meta-analyses

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 364-368 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Cuijpers ◽  
E. Weitz ◽  
I. A. Cristea ◽  
J. Twisk
Keyword(s):  
Comparison Group ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Behaviour Therapy ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
Cognitive Behaviour ◽  
Post Test ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Highly Cited

AimsThe standardised mean difference (SMD) is one of the most used effect sizes to indicate the effects of treatments. It indicates the difference between a treatment and comparison group after treatment has ended, in terms of standard deviations. Some meta-analyses, including several highly cited and influential ones, use the pre-post SMD, indicating the difference between baseline and post-test within one (treatment group).MethodsIn this paper, we argue that these pre-post SMDs should be avoided in meta-analyses and we describe the arguments why pre-post SMDs can result in biased outcomes.ResultsOne important reason why pre-post SMDs should be avoided is that the scores on baseline and post-test are not independent of each other. The value for the correlation should be used in the calculation of the SMD, while this value is typically not known. We used data from an ‘individual patient data’ meta-analysis of trials comparing cognitive behaviour therapy and anti-depressive medication, to show that this problem can lead to considerable errors in the estimation of the SMDs. Another even more important reason why pre-post SMDs should be avoided in meta-analyses is that they are influenced by natural processes and characteristics of the patients and settings, and these cannot be discerned from the effects of the intervention. Between-group SMDs are much better because they control for such variables and these variables only affect the between group SMD when they are related to the effects of the intervention.ConclusionsWe conclude that pre-post SMDs should be avoided in meta-analyses as using them probably results in biased outcomes.

scholarly journals Comparison of National Board of Chiropractic Examiners part I examination scores between tutors and tutees at a chiropractic college

2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 104-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amilliah W. Kenya ◽  
John F. Hart ◽  
Charles K. Vuyiya
Keyword(s):  
Grade Point Average ◽  
Test Scores ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Grade Point ◽  
Board Examination ◽  
National Board ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Tutor Group

Objective: This study compared National Board of Chiropractic Examiners part I test scores between students who did and did not serve as tutors on the subject matter. Methods: Students who had a prior grade point average of 3.45 or above on a 4.0 scale just before taking part I of the board exams were eligible to participate. A 2-sample t-test was used to ascertain the difference in the mean scores on part I between the tutor group (n = 28) and nontutor (n = 29) group. Results: Scores were higher in all subjects for the tutor group compared to the nontutor group and the differences were statistically significant (p &lt; .01) with large effect sizes. Conclusion: The tutors in this study performed better on part I of the board examination compared to nontutors, suggesting that tutoring results in an academic benefit for tutors themselves.

Identifying and Characterizing Summer Diseases on ‘Babygold’ Peach in South Carolina

2006 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guido Schnabel ◽  
Wenxuan Chai ◽  
Kerik D. Cox
Keyword(s):  
South Carolina ◽  
Dna Analysis ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Disease Outbreaks ◽  
Geotrichum Candidum ◽  
Fruit Rot ◽  
Colletotrichum Acutatum ◽  
Significant Yield ◽  
Rot Disease

Summer diseases can cause significant yield losses in processing peach varieties, such as the ‘Babygold’ lines. In this study we identified and characterized the pathogens responsible for disease outbreaks in two orchards (PH and JC) located in the northern ‘Piedmont’ area of South Carolina. Three pathogens, Geotrichum candidum, Colletotrichum acutatum, and Botryosphaeria dothidea, the causal agents of sour rot, anthracnose, and Botryosphaeria fruit rot disease respectively, were identified on fruit from orchard PH using symptomology, culture and spore morphology, and ribosomal DNA analysis. G. candidum and C. acutatum were also isolated from symptomatic fruit from orchard JC. The QoI fungicide azoxystrobin and a mixture of pyraclostrobin and boscalid were evaluated for their in vitro efficacy against five isolates of each of the three pathogens to investigate their possible usefulness in designing management strategies. Azoxystrobin inhibited mycelial growth of C. acutatum isolates (EC50 values of 0.01 to 0.55 mg/liter) but was ineffective against mycelium of G. candidum and B. dothidea isolates (EC50 values >300 mg/liter). The pyraclostrobin-boscalid mixture was highly effective against mycelium of C. acutatum (EC50 values of 0.01 to 0.05 mg/liter) and B. dothidea isolates (EC50 values of 0.02 to 0.03 mg/liter), but only marginally effective against mycelium of G. candidum (EC50 values 15.79 to 39.03 mg/liter). This study provides a diagnostic guide of pathogens that can cause summer diseases on ‘Babygold’ peaches and reports their in vitro sensitivity to registered respiration inhibitor fungicides. Accepted for publication 23 December 2005. Published 1 March 2006.

scholarly journals Effect of Streptozotocin on Plasma Insulin Levels of Rats and Mice: A Meta-analysis Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 380-383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Burcu Koksal
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Insulin ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Practical Importance ◽  
Diabetic Rats ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
Effective Agent ◽  
Insulin Levels ◽  
Plasma Insulin Levels ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Rats And Mice

BACKGROUND: In the studies focusing on diabetic organisms, Streprozotocine (STZ) is a frequently used agent to induce diabetes in rats and mice. However the current studies do not represent practical importance of their statistical findings. For showing practical importance of the differences in plasma insulin levels of diabetic rats and mice induced by STZ, there should be a statistical synthesis regarding statistical findings of the studies. AIM: The purpose of this study is to make a meta-analysis of the studies on the effect of STZ on plasma insulin levels in diabetic rats and mice. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study 39 effect sizes (37 studies) about levels of plasma insulin were analyzed by calculating individual effect sizes (d) and mean effect size.RESULTS: The effect sizes were between -13.7 and +65.3 and the mean effect size value (+9.33) represented a large effect indicating that STZ was an effective agent to significantly decrease plasma insulin levels of diabetic rats and mice.CONCLUSION: It can be said that the differences in plasma insulin levels between STZ-applied and no application groups has a practical importance in making animal model of diabetes.

scholarly journals Relating Plant Architecture to Eggplant Fruit Quality

2013 ◽  
Vol 138 (6) ◽  
pp. 428-432
Author(s):  
Brian A. Kahn
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Quality ◽  
Solanum Melongena ◽  
Soil Surface ◽  
Dry Weight ◽  
Fruit Production ◽  
Fruit Rot ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Shoot Dry Weight ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Marketable Fruit

A 2-year study was conducted at Bixby, OK, to examine shoot characteristics of several eggplant (Solanum melongena) cultivars, including the vertical distribution patterns of fruit production, and to examine possible relationships of these traits to aspects of fruit quality. Plants of 11 cultivars of purple-fruited eggplant were field-grown following local production practices. Fourteen harvests of fruit that had reached horticultural maturity were made from 99 plants in each year over a period of ≈45 days per year. On each harvest date, every fruit that was harvested from an individual plant was charted. Before a fruit was severed from the plant, heights were measured from the soil surface to the pedicel attachment and to the blossom end. Each fruit was then weighed and categorized for marketability. On the day after the final harvest, each data plant was measured for height and diameter of the main stem and then severed at soil level for subsequent measurement of shoot dry weight. ‘Classic’, ‘Dusky’, ‘Megal’, and ‘Santana’ were the only cultivars that produced more than 50% marketable fruit in both years. There were no consistent relationships between plant height, stem diameter, or shoot dry weight and fruit quality. For a given cultivar, the fruiting plane was defined as the vertical space in which fruit were found over the course of the harvest period. This was delimited at the top by the mean height above the soil of the point of pedicel attachment and at the bottom by the mean height above the soil of the blossom end. The cultivars differed in fruiting planes, but height of fruit set was relatively unimportant as a determinant of overall fruit quality. Cull fruit usually had blossom ends that were higher off the ground than marketable fruit. The primary reason for cull fruit production was determined for two cultivars: ‘Black Beauty’ had poor fruit color and ‘Black Bell’ was relatively susceptible to fruit rot (primarily caused by Phomopsis vexans). Fruit scarring was found to be a major contributor to cull fruit production. Cultivars differed in fruit scarring in 1 of 2 years, and there was evidence that scarred fruit occurred higher in the crop canopy than marketable fruit.

scholarly journals Plasma Levels of Free Fatty Acids in Women with Gestational Diabetes and Its Intrinsic and Extrinsic Determinants: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-13
Author(s):  
Jose Rafael Villafan-Bernal ◽  
Mariana Acevedo-Alba ◽  
Rodrigo Reyes-Pavon ◽  
Guillermo Andres Diaz-Parra ◽  
Diana Lucia Lip-Sosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fatty Acids ◽  
Gestational Diabetes ◽  
Free Fatty Acids ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Plasma Levels ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Nonesterified Fatty Acids ◽  
Induce Insulin Resistance ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Background. Free fatty acids, also known as nonesterified fatty acids, are proinflammatory molecules that induce insulin resistance in nonpregnant individuals. Nevertheless, the concentration of these molecules has not been systematically addressed in pregnant women. Objective. This meta-analysis is aimed at evaluating the difference in free fatty acid plasma levels between women with gestational diabetes and healthy pregnant controls and their intrinsic and extrinsic determinants. Methods. We performed a systematic search to find relevant studies published in English and Spanish using PubMed, SCOPUS, and ISI Web of Knowledge. We included observational studies measuring the mean plasma levels of free fatty acids among gestational diabetes and healthy pregnant women, with at least ten subjects being analyzed in each group. The standardized mean difference (SMD) by random effects modeling was used. Heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran’s Q, H, and I2 statistics. Results. Among the 290 identified studies, twelve were selected for analysis. A total of 2426 women were included, from which 21% were diagnosed as having gestational diabetes. There were significantly higher levels of free fatty acids among women with gestational diabetes (SMD: 0.86; 0.54-1.18; p<0.001) when compared to healthy pregnant controls and between-study heterogeneity (I2=91%). The metaregression analysis showed that the gestational age at inclusion was the only cofactor influencing the mean levels of free fatty acids, indicating a trend towards lower plasma levels of free fatty acids later in gestation (estimate: -0.074; -0.143 to -0.004; p=0.036). No significant publication bias was found nor a trend towards greater results in small studies. Conclusions. Women with gestational diabetes have higher levels of free fatty acids when compared to healthy pregnant controls. More investigation is needed to assess the potential role of free fatty acids in the prediction of gestational diabetes earlier in pregnancy.

The Difference between Cartilaginous and Bony Sulcus Angles for Patients with or without Patellofemoral Instability: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (03) ◽  
pp. 235-241
Author(s):  
Si Heng Sharon Tan ◽  
Kiat Soon Jason Chng ◽  
Beatrice Ying Lim ◽  
Keng Lin Wong ◽  
Chintan Doshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Trochlear Dysplasia ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Patellofemoral Instability ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Sulcus Angle ◽  
Trochlea Dysplasia ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Ct And Mri

AbstractThe cartilaginous sulcus angle and bony sulcus angle have been widely used to evaluate trochlea dysplasia. The current review aims to evaluate (1) whether there is a difference in measurement for cartilaginous and bony sulcus angles, (2) whether both the cartilaginous and bony sulcus angles could be used to differentiate between patients with or without trochlear dysplasia, and (3) whether the same cut-off of 145 degrees, originally used for radiographs, can be applied for the cartilaginous and bony sulcus angles measured on CT and MRI. The review was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRSIMA) guidelines. A total of 11 publications with 1204 patients were included. All publications reported the sulcus angle to be greater in patients with patellofemoral instability. All publications reported the cartilaginous sulcus angle to be greater than the bony sulcus angle (MD 7.27 degrees; 95% CI: 5.67 – 8.87). The mean cartilaginous sulcus angle for the control group was 141.83 degrees (95% CI: 139.90 – 143.76) while the mean cartilaginous sulcus angle for patients with patellofemoral instability was 156.24 degrees (95% CI: 153.71 – 158.77). The mean bony sulcus angle for the control group was noted to be 133.69 degrees (95% CI: 131.23 – 136.15) while the mean bony sulcus angle for patients with patellofemoral instability was 148.42 (95% CI: 144.02 – 152.82). Both the cartilaginous and bony sulcus angles measured on CT and MRI could therefore be used to differentiate between patients with and without trochlear dysplasia. However, the cartilaginous sulcus angles are significantly higher than that of bony sulcus angles. Different cut off values should therefore be used.

Paternal ages below or above 35 years old are associated with a different risk of schizophrenia in the offspring

2007 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 22-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Wohl ◽  
P. Gorwood
Keyword(s):  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Paternal Age ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Age Class ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Class Reference ◽  
Different Origins

AbstractBackgroundA link between older age of fatherhood and an increased risk of schizophrenia was detected in 1958. Since then, 10 studies attempted to replicate this result with different methods, on samples with different origins, using different age classes. Defining a cut-off at which the risk is significantly increased in the offspring could have an important impact on public health.MethodsA meta-analysis (Meta Win®) was performed, assessing the mean effect size for each age class, taking into account the difference in age class references, and the study design.ResultsAn increased risk is detected when paternal age is below 20 (compared to 20–24), over 35 (compared to below 35), 39 (compared to less than 30), and 54 years old (compared to less than 25). Interestingly, 35 years appears nevertheless to be the lowest cut-off where the OR is always above 1, whatever the age class reference, and the smallest value where offspring of fathers below or above this age have a significantly different risk of schizophrenia.ConclusionNo threshold can be precisely defined, but convergent elements indicate ages below or above 35 years. Using homogeneous age ranges in future studies could help to clarify a precise threshold.

scholarly journals The Effectiveness of Pulsed Dye Laser in Management of Acne Vulgaris: A Systematic review and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
pp. 41
Author(s):  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Laser Therapy ◽  
Treatment Option ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Acne Vulgaris ◽  
Dye Laser ◽  
Pulsed Dye Laser ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Difference

Background: Acne vulgaris is one of the most prevalent skin diseases, affecting up to 85% of teenagers and young adults. Multiple treatment options including topical, systemic or physical therapies. However, the effects of conventional therapies are limited due to antibi-otic resistance and adverse effects such as irritation and teratogenicity of isotretinoin. Light-based therapy is an alternative and/or adjuvant therapy in patients who cannot tolerate or unresponsive to conventional therapies that may provide fewer side effects, patient com-fort, fast onset of action, and with equal or greater effectiveness. We aimed to assess the effectiveness of using Pulsed Dye Laser as a treatment option for acne vulgaris. A systemat-ic Review and Meta-analysis was peformed of randomized clinical trials assessing the ef-fectiveness of Pulsed Dye Laser in management of acne vulgaris. Methods: Medline Pubmed, Scopus, Cochrane library, the reference list, conference pro-ceedings, researchers in field of eligible studies were searched. Eight studies (n=275 sub-jects) were included in qualitative analysis of which six studies (n=190 subjects) were in-cluded in meta-analysis. The mean age of the participant was 21,94 years old. Intervention using application of Pulsed dye laser as monotherapy or combination in acne vulgaris pa-tients with follow-up at least 12 weeks. and the outcomes is a decrease mean of acne vul-garis lesions counts after received pulsed dye laser therapy. Results: Pooling of data using random effects model showed that the group that received PDL therapy alone or in combination had a lower number of acne lesions than the control group with the mean difference was -0.593 (95% CI = -1.290 to 0.104), the z value was -1.668 with p = 0.095. This shows that the number of lesions in the group that received sin-gle or combined PDL therapy was lower than the control group. However the difference is insignificant. Conclusion. From the results of the systematic review conducted, it can be concluded that in the group given Pulsed Dye Laser therapy there was a decrease in the total number of acne vulgaris lesions compared to before treatment, and the decrease, which was indicated by the difference in the mean number of acne lesions, was significantly greater compared to the control who was only given placebo. Pulsed Dye Laser therapy can be an alternative treatment option for acne vulgaris in patients who are unresponsive to previous treatment or conditions where there are contraindications to systemic therapy.

scholarly journals A Meta-Analysis of Test Scores in Proctored and Unproctored Ability Assessments

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 174-184 ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Steger ◽  
Ulrich Schroeders ◽  
Timo Gnambs
Keyword(s):  
Context Effects ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Effect Sizes ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Web Based ◽  
Total N ◽  
Test Taking ◽  
Lack Of Control ◽  
Personal Consequences ◽  
Mean Differences

Abstract. Unproctored, web-based assessments are frequently compromised by a lack of control over the participants’ test-taking behavior. It is likely that participants cheat if personal consequences are high. This meta-analysis summarizes findings on context effects in unproctored and proctored ability assessments and examines mean score differences and correlations between both assessment contexts. As potential moderators, we consider (a) the perceived consequences of the assessment, (b) countermeasures against cheating, (c) the susceptibility to cheating of the measure itself, and (d) the use of different test media. For standardized mean differences, a three-level random-effects meta-analysis based on 109 effect sizes from 49 studies (total N = 100,434) identified a pooled effect of Δ = 0.20, 95% CI [0.10, 0.31], indicating higher scores in unproctored assessments. Moderator analyses revealed significantly smaller effects for measures that are difficult to research on the Internet. These results demonstrate that unproctored ability assessments are biased by cheating. Unproctored assessments may be most suitable for tasks that are difficult to search on the Internet.

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