The smash of Parthenium hysterophorus L. in the grasslands of Oman

This study examines the invasiveness of Parthenium hysterophorus L. considered as harmful, unpleasant noxious invasive weed in Sultanate of Oman. Since the subject of investigation has allelopathic effects, the author’s objective is to identify its abundance, its impact to environment, human and animal health. Allelopathy of this invasive weed has started to be known and considered by the farmers and harvesters. The harmful and socio-economic effects of the weed to humans, animals and to landscape are not fully known nor understood by the local farmers and pastoralists in the southern part of Oman where this weed is most invasive. Data were collected through field observation, informal interviews, focus group discussions and survey questionnaire. They were treated and analysed using descriptive statistics. Findings prompted the participants to propose possible and practical control solutions for the spread of P. hysterophorus if not totally eradicated, considering the availability of resources, level of awareness and the socio-economic status of the affected regions. The results of the investigation are hoped to improve the over-all management that are being conducted by the concerned agencies and volunteers towards the rapid spread of the weed. The findings revealed that P. hysterophorus has serious impacts on vegetation, pastures and agriculture, as it was observed in reduced level growth of both plants and trees. The possible control measures gathered from the participants indicate that they are willing to cooperate and learn more about the impact of the weed.

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Economics of Cogongrass Control in Slash Pine Forests

Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics ◽

10.1017/s1074070800028947 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 39 (s1) ◽

pp. 61-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Janaki R.R. Alavalapati ◽

Shibu Jose ◽

George A. Stainback ◽

Jagannadha R. Matta ◽

Douglas R. Carter

Keyword(s):

Cooperative Behavior ◽

Slash Pine ◽

Imperata Cylindrica ◽

Control Measures ◽

Pine Forests ◽

Invasive Weed ◽

Net Returns ◽

Dynamic Optimization Model ◽

And Control ◽

The Impact

Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica), an invasive weed, is a threat to slash pine forests. Using a dynamic optimization model, we estimated the impact of cogongrass on the profitability of slash pine forestry under four scenarios: no threat of cogongrass infestation; infestation is uncertain, and no control measures are taken; infestation is uncertain, but control measures are undertaken by one landowner but not the neighbors; and infestation is uncertain, and control measures are undertaken by everyone. Results indicate that annual net returns per acre under each scenario, respectively, are $25.30, $16.97, $13.89, and $17.38. Results suggest fostering a cooperative behavior among landowners is desirable.

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The Establishment and Rapid Spread of Sagittaria Platyphylla in South Africa

Water ◽

10.3390/w12051472 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (5) ◽

pp. 1472

Author(s):

Mpilonhle S. Ndlovu ◽

Julie A. Coetzee ◽

Menzi M. Nxumalo ◽

Reshnee Lalla ◽

Ntombifuthi Shabalala ◽

...

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Aquatic Macrophyte ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Control Measures ◽

Invasive Weed ◽

Mechanical Control ◽

Potential Control ◽

Control Option ◽

Rapid Spread ◽

Lotic System

Sagittaria platyphylla Engelm. (Alismataceae) is a freshwater aquatic macrophyte that has become an important invasive weed in freshwater systems in South Africa, New Zealand, Australia, and recently China. In South Africa, due to its rapid increase in distribution and ineffective control options, it is recognised as one of the country’s worst invasive aquatic alien plants. In this paper, we investigate the spread of the plant since its first detection in 2008, and the management strategies currently carried out against it. Despite early detection and rapid response programmes, which included chemical and mechanical control measures, the plant was able to spread both within and between sites, increasing from just one site in 2008 to 72 by 2019. Once introduced into a lotic system, the plant was able to spread rapidly, in some cases up to 120 km within 6 years, with an average of 10 km per year. The plant was successfully extirpated at some sites, however, due to the failure of chemical and mechanical control, biological control is currently being considered as a potential control option.

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Bovine Babesiosis in Turkey: Impact, Current Gaps, and Opportunities for Intervention

Pathogens ◽

10.3390/pathogens9121041 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (12) ◽

pp. 1041

Author(s):

Sezayi Ozubek ◽

Reginaldo G. Bastos ◽

Heba F. Alzan ◽

Abdullah Inci ◽

Munir Aktas ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Vaccine Development ◽

Point Of Care ◽

Animal Health ◽

Current Control ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Control Measures ◽

Bovine Babesiosis ◽

Research Programs ◽

The Impact

Bovine babesiosis is a global tick-borne disease that causes important cattle losses and has potential zoonotic implications. The impact of bovine babesiosis in Turkey remains poorly characterized, but several Babesia spp., including B. bovis, B. bigemina, and B. divergens, among others and competent tick vectors, except Rhipicephalus microplus, have been recently identified in the country. Bovine babesiosis has been reported in all provinces but is more prevalent in central and highly humid areas in low and medium altitude regions of the country housing approximately 70% of the cattle population. Current control measures include acaricides and babesicidal drugs, but not live vaccines. Despite the perceived relevant impact of bovine babesiosis in Turkey, basic research programs focused on developing in vitro cultures of parasites, point-of-care diagnostic methods, vaccine development, “omics” analysis, and gene manipulation techniques of local Babesia strains are scarce. Additionally, no effective and coordinated control efforts managed by a central animal health authority have been established to date. Development of state-of-the-art research programs in bovine babesiosis to address current gaps in knowledge and implementation of long-term plans to control the disease will surely result in important economic, nutritional, and public health benefits for the country and the region.

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Robotic Spot Spraying of Harrisia Cactus (Harrisia martinii) in Grazing Pastures of the Australian Rangelands

Plants ◽

10.3390/plants10102054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (10) ◽

pp. 2054

Author(s):

Brendan Calvert ◽

Alex Olsen ◽

James Whinney ◽

Mostafa Rahimi Azghadi

Keyword(s):

Foliar Application ◽

Operation Time ◽

Control Measures ◽

Invasive Weed ◽

South Wales ◽

Significant Step ◽

Experimental Trials ◽

The Cost ◽

The Impact

Harrisia cactus, Harrisia martinii, is a serious weed affecting hundreds of thousands of hectares of native pasture in the Australian rangelands. Despite the landmark success of past biological control agents for the invasive weed and significant investment in its eradication by the Queensland Government (roughly $156M since 1960), it still takes hold in the cooler rangeland environments of northern New South Wales and southern Queensland. In the past decade, landholders with large infestations in these locations have spent approximately $20,000 to $30,000 per annum on herbicide control measures to reduce the impact of the weed on their grazing operations. Current chemical control requires manual hand spot spraying with high quantities of herbicide for foliar application. These methods are labour intensive and costly, and in some cases inhibit landholders from performing control at all. Robotic spot spraying offers a potential solution to these issues, but existing solutions are not suitable for the rangeland environment. This work presents the methods and results of an in situ field trial of a novel robotic spot spraying solution, AutoWeed, for treating harrisia cactus that (1) more than halves the operation time, (2) can reduce herbicide usage by up to 54% and (3) can reduce the cost of herbicide by up to $18.15 per ha compared to the existing hand spraying approach. The AutoWeed spot spraying system used the MobileNetV2 deep learning architecture to perform real time spot spraying of harrisia cactus with 97.2% average recall accuracy and weed knockdown efficacy of up to 96%. Experimental trials showed that the AutoWeed spot sprayer achieved the same level of knockdown of harrisia cactus as traditional hand spraying in low, medium and high density infestations. This work represents a significant step forward for spot spraying of weeds in the Australian rangelands that will reduce labour and herbicide costs for landholders as the technology sees more uptake in the future.

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Survey of protozoan vector-borne diseases in dogs from Atlantic Rainforest fragment around Billings Dam, São Paulo, Brazil

Ciência Rural ◽

10.1590/0103-8478cr20200262 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 50 (9) ◽

Author(s):

Roberta Carvalho de Freitas e Azevedo ◽

Giovanna Stefani Nosberto Castelli ◽

Ryan Emiliano da Silva ◽

Jaciara de Oliveira Jorge Costa ◽

Renata Tonhosolo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Animal Health ◽

Companion Animals ◽

Sao Paulo ◽

Control Measures ◽

Molecular Diagnostic ◽

São Paulo ◽

Vector Borne Diseases ◽

Babesia Vogeli ◽

Vector Borne ◽

The Impact

ABSTRACT: Vector-borne diseases are currently one of the biggest public health concerns worldwide. Dogs, being the closest companion animals to humans, are considered the main reservoir of some of these diseases in the urban environment. Therefore, the study of the disease behavior in dogs can help to understand the disease affecting human health. Serological and molecular diagnoses of Babesia vogeli, Rangelia vitalli, Leishmania infantum, and other trypanosomatids, were performed by immunochromatographic and PCR assays, respectively, on dogs in a dog shelter located in an Atlantic Forest fragment near the Billings Dam, São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo-Brazil. Our molecular diagnostic results showed a high prevalence of Babesia vogeli, at 20.9% (17/81). No other protozoan was detected in any of the tests. Determining the prevalence of major vector-borne diseases is essential to establish preventive and control measures for zoonotic diseases in animals kept in shelters, in order to minimize the impact of vector-borne diseases on animal health.

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Current Issues on the Political Representation of Middle Classes in Chile

Journal of Politics in Latin America ◽

10.1177/1866802x1600800304 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (3) ◽

pp. 95-123 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Emmanuelle Barozet ◽

Vicente Espinoza

Keyword(s):

Political Representation ◽

Economic Status ◽

The Political ◽

Representation System ◽

Middle Classes ◽

The Subject ◽

Efficient Representation ◽

The One ◽

The Impact ◽

Critical Citizens

In this article, we analyze the impact that the evolution of the middle classes has had on political representation in Chile. Based on a description of the transformations of Chilean social structure in recent decades, we review the conceptual frameworks available on the subject, from modernization theories and the rise of new masses – particularly the one that “emerged” from poverty – to the forming of new critical citizens. We state that the heterogeneity of Chilean middle classes has challenged the discredited representation system. We observe more efficient representation channels developing for medium-high-income, educated, and consolidated sectors in contrast to new social policy demands from emerging and vulnerable sectors, focusing more on consolidating their economic status than on improving representation channels.

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Stress exposure as a mechanism of the impact of socio-economic status on health quality

Zbornik Matice srpske za drustvene nauke ◽

10.2298/zmsdn1763471m ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 471-483

Author(s):

Vladimir Mentus ◽

Tatjana Mentus

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Socioeconomic Status ◽

Economic Status ◽

Stress Exposure ◽

Methodological Issues ◽

Socio Economic Status ◽

Health Quality ◽

The Subject ◽

The Impact ◽

The Relationship

The subject of this paper is stress exposure as one of the mechanisms through which the socioeconomic status may affect the health. First of all, the nature of the relationship between the socioeconomic status and the health quality, as well as possible mechanisms of relationship between them in general are presented. Then, an overview of the relationship between socioeconomic status and stress exposure is provided, as well as previous research results in this field. Finally, mechanisms by which stress exposure may affect health quality are presented. The largest number of studies indicates a positive correlation between socioeconomic position and health quality and a negative correlation between status and stress exposure, as well as health quality and stress exposure. The results regarding the relationship between socioeconomic status and stress exposure are in this respect the least consistent, mostly due to differences in the conceptualizations and operationalizations, poor representativeness of samples, and other methodological issues, as well as the characteristics of the examined populations themselves. Further, behaviors relevant to health quality, such as diet or physical activity, are to a great extent related to socioeconomic status and stress exposure. Whatever the mechanisms by which the interaction between these variables is explained may be, the socioeconomic status is probably the key for prevention and overcoming stressful situations, and thus, for health in general.

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Animal and Human Health Implications of Avian Influenza Infections

Bioscience Reports ◽

10.1007/s10540-007-9057-9 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 27 (6) ◽

pp. 359-372 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Ilaria Capua ◽

Dennis J. Alexander

Keyword(s):

Avian Influenza ◽

Human Health ◽

H5n1 Virus ◽

Animal Health ◽

Control Measures ◽

Health Issues ◽

Human Beings ◽

Highly Pathogenic ◽

Hpai H5n1 ◽

The Impact

Avian influenza (AI) is a listed disease of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that has become a disease of great importance both for animal and human health. Until recent times, AI was considered a disease of birds with zoonotic implications of limited significance. The emergence and spread of the Asian lineage highly pathogenic AI (HPAI) H5N1 virus has dramatically changed this perspective; not only has it been responsible of the death or culling of millions of birds, but this virus has also been able to infect a variety of non-avian hosts including human beings. The implications of such a panzootic reflect themselves in animal health issues, notably in the reduction of a protein source for developing countries and in the management of the pandemic potential. Retrospective studies have shown that avian progenitors play an important role in the generation of pandemic viruses for humans, and therefore these infections in the avian reservoir should be subjected to control measures aiming at eradication of the Asian H5N1 virus from all sectors rather than just eliminating or reducing the impact of the disease in poultry.

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Estimation of Rift Valley fever virus spillover to humans during the Mayotte 2018–2019 epidemic

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.2004468117 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 117 (39) ◽

pp. 24567-24574 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Raphaëlle Métras ◽

W. John Edmunds ◽

Chouanibou Youssouffi ◽

Laure Dommergues ◽

Guillaume Fournié ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rift Valley ◽

Direct Contact ◽

Rift Valley Fever ◽

Rift Valley Fever Virus ◽

Animal Health ◽

Hemorrhagic Fever ◽

Control Measures ◽

Similar Reduction ◽

Valley Fever ◽

The Impact

Rift Valley fever (RVF) is an emerging, zoonotic, arboviral hemorrhagic fever threatening livestock and humans mainly in Africa. RVF is of global concern, having expanded its geographical range over the last decades. The impact of control measures on epidemic dynamics using empirical data has not been assessed. Here, we fitted a mathematical model to seroprevalence livestock and human RVF case data from the 2018–2019 epidemic in Mayotte to estimate viral transmission among livestock, and spillover from livestock to humans through both direct contact and vector-mediated routes. Model simulations were used to assess the impact of vaccination on reducing the epidemic size. The rate of spillover by direct contact was about twice as high as vector transmission. Assuming 30% of the population were farmers, each transmission route contributed to 45% and 55% of the number of human infections, respectively. Reactive vaccination immunizing 20% of the livestock population reduced the number of human cases by 30%. Vaccinating 1 mo later required using 50% more vaccine doses for a similar reduction. Vaccinating only farmers required 10 times as more vaccine doses for a similar reduction in human cases. Finally, with 52.0% (95% credible interval [CrI] [42.9–59.4]) of livestock immune at the end of the epidemic wave, viral reemergence in the next rainy season (2019–2020) is unlikely. Coordinated human and animal health surveillance, and timely livestock vaccination appear to be key to controlling RVF in this setting. We furthermore demonstrate the value of a One Health quantitative approach to surveillance and control of zoonotic infectious diseases.

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ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF BLOCKCHAIN TECHNOLOGIES ON CREDIT RISKS IN THE BANKING SECTOR OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

Tyumen State University Herald Social Economic and Law Research ◽

10.21684/2411-7897-2020-6-2-148-167 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (2) ◽

pp. 148-167

Author(s):

Marat R. SAFIULLIN ◽

Leonid A. ELSHIN ◽

Aliya A. ABDUKAEVA

Keyword(s):

Data Storage ◽

Russian Federation ◽

National Economy ◽

Banking Sector ◽

Economic Effects ◽

Theoretical Understanding ◽

Credit Risks ◽

The Subject ◽

The Russian Federation ◽

The Impact

Despite the very high interest on the part of international and national financial institutions, enterprises of the real sector of the economy in distributed data storage technologies, studies on the problems of assessing the use of the potential of blockchain platforms in the socioeconomic environment, their theoretical understanding can be met not so often. Existing works, as a rule, reveal either the technical side of the object of study, or the regulatory aspects of the applicability of blockchain technologies in the national economy. In this regard, in order to fill in questions revealing other aspects of the subject of the study, for example, such as an empirical assessment of the economic and social effects of the introduction of blockchain technologies in the activities of business entities, an attempt is made in this paper to overcome this conditional vacuum. The banking sector of the national economy of the Russian Federation was chosen as the object of research. The subject of the study is the relationship built between participants in the financial market on the basis of blockchain technologies, and the resulting effects expressed in the potential to reduce credit risks of banks due to non-fulfillment, untimely or incomplete fulfillment of financial obligations by debtors. In the course of the study, the main directions that reduce the risks under consideration, as a result of minimizing opportunistic models of behavior, are substantiated, possible economic effects for the Russian banking system as a result of the use of blockchain technologies are identified. The most important result of the work is the developed algorithm for determining the parameters for reducing the reserved capital for credit risks as a result of the penetration of blockchain technologies into the banking environment.

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