scholarly journals Exploring the Mechanisms of the Spatiotemporal Invasion of Tuta absoluta in Asia

Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritter A. Guimapi ◽  
Ramasamy Srinivasan ◽  
Henri E. Tonnang ◽  
Paola Sotelo-Cardona ◽  
Samira A. Mohamed

International crop exchange always brings the risk of introducing pests to countries where they are not yet present. The invasive pest Tuta absoluta (Meyrick 1917), after taking just a decade (2008–2017) to invade the entire Africa continent, is now continuing its expansion in Asia. From its first detection in Turkey (2009), the pest has extended its range of invasion at a very high speed of progression to the southeast part of Asia. This study adopted the cellular automata modelling method used to successfully predict the spatiotemporal invasion of T. absoluta in Africa to find out if the invasive pest is propagating with a similar pattern of spread in Asia. Using land cover vegetation, temperature, relative humidity and the natural flight ability of Tuta absoluta, we simulated the spread pattern considering Turkey as the initial point in Asia. The model revealed that it would take about 20 years for the pest to reach the southeast part of Asia, unlike real life where it took just about 10 years (2009–2018). This can be explained by international crop trade, especially in tomatoes, and movement of people, suggesting that recommendations and advice from the previous invasion in Europe and Africa were not implemented or not seriously taken into account. Moreover, some countries like Taiwan and the Philippines with suitable environmental condition for the establishment of T. absoluta are not at risk of natural invasion by flight, but quarantine measure must be put in place to avoid invasion by crop transportation or people movement. The results can assist policy makers to better understand the different mechanisms of invasion of T. absoluta in Asia, and therefore adjust or adapt control measures that fit well with the dynamic of the invasive pest observed.

2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (4) ◽  
pp. 372-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nesreen M. Abd El-Ghany ◽  
Atef Sayed Abdel-Razek ◽  
Ibrahim M.A. Ebadah ◽  
Youssf A. Mahmoud

AbstractSolanaceous plants have a great economic impact in Egypt. These groups of plants include potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants. The new invasive pest of tomatoes, Tuta absoluta (Meyrick) causes the greatest crop losses which can range from 60 to 100%. After its detection in Egypt during the last half of 2009, it spread quickly to all provinces in the country. We aiming to propose a sustainable control program for this devastating pest. In this research we tested three groups of control agents. The first was microbial and natural, the second - plant extracts and the third - chemical insecticides. Our results showed that the impact of T. absoluta can be greatly reduced by the use of sustainable control measures represented by different insecticide groups. Bioassay experiments showed that this devastating pest can be controlled with some compounds that give high mortality rates. Of these compounds, spinosad and Beauveria bassiana, microbial control agents, followed by azadirachtin, gave the best results in controlling T. absoluta. Of the chemical insecticides, lambda-cyhalotrin was the most effective, followed by lufenuron and profenofos. In conclusion we encourage farmers to use microbial and natural control measures in combating the tomato leafminer, T. absoluta, in Integrated Pest Mangement (IPM) programs.


Author(s):  
S. Venkatesan ◽  
R. Ganesan

Abstract Variations in strength, geometric and deterioration characteristics of both materials and machine components are quite common in real-life mechanical systems due to manufacturing defects and measurement errors. Such inherent fluctuations which are unavoidable even with the best quality control measures, are essentially random in nature. Effects of these random fluctuations on the performance levels, dynamic response and service life of mechanical systems need to be evaluated based on a stochastic approach, in order to assist design and diagnostics of industrial machinery. Non self-adjoint eigenproblems that correspond to the dynamic response of complex mechanical systems such as high speed rotors, fluid-flowing pipes and actively controlled structures are considered in the present work. The coefficients of the matrices are stochastic processes and are resulting from uncertain parameters of the mechanical system being described by the eigenproblem. A perturbational solution is sought and obtained in a form that does not involve repeated solutions of a recursive set of equations. Sample functions are generated based on the perturbational expansion and response moments are obtained by treating uncertain fluctuations to be stochastic perturbations. Complete covariance structures of both eigenvalues and eigenvectors are obtained through computationally efficient expressions. Applications of the developed procedure for real-life mechanical systems, that have uncertain material properties, are demonstrated.


HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 509e-509
Author(s):  
Robert P. Rice

The Cal Poly philosophy of “Learn and Understand by Doing” has been integrated with problem-based learning and the use of the latest technology to produce a class that closely simulates real-life pest control situations. Goals of the class, Disease and Pest Control Systems for Ornamental Plants, are to teach students pest monitoring, control and problem solving techniques, the use of resources including the internet and journals, and the use of the latest pest control equipment and application techniques. Students are shown pest situations and then work in groups to diagnose the problem, investigate management strategies, apply control measures, and monitor results. Weekly class presentations inform the class of the various projects and help to teach the class organization and presentation skills. Student evaluations and test performance have demonstrated that students achieve class objectives substantially better with the problem-based learning approach than with the previous lecture-based approach to the class.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-30
Author(s):  
Lisa Grace S. Bersales ◽  
Josefina V. Almeda ◽  
Sabrina O. Romasoc ◽  
Marie Nadeen R. Martinez ◽  
Dannela Jann B. Galias

With the advancement of technology, digitalization, and the internet of things, large amounts of complex data are being produced daily. This vast quantity of various data produced at high speed is referred to as Big Data. The utilization of Big Data is being implemented with success in the private sector, yet the public sector seems to be falling behind despite the many potentials Big Data has already presented. In this regard, this paper explores ways in which the government can recognize the use of Big Data for official statistics. It begins by gathering and presenting Big Data-related initiatives and projects across the globe for various types and sources of Big Data implemented. Further, this paper discusses the opportunities, challenges, and risks associated with using Big Data, particularly in official statistics. This paper also aims to assess the current utilization of Big Data in the country through focus group discussions and key informant interviews. Based on desk review, discussions, and interviews, the paper then concludes with a proposed framework that provides ways in which Big Data may be utilized by the government to augment official statistics.


Computation ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 35
Author(s):  
Hind R. Mohammed ◽  
Zahir M. Hussain

Accurate, fast, and automatic detection and classification of animal images is challenging, but it is much needed for many real-life applications. This paper presents a hybrid model of Mamdani Type-2 fuzzy rules and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) applied to identify and distinguish various animals using different datasets consisting of about 27,307 images. The proposed system utilizes fuzzy rules to detect the image and then apply the CNN model for the object’s predicate category. The CNN model was trained and tested based on more than 21,846 pictures of animals. The experiments’ results of the proposed method offered high speed and efficiency, which could be a prominent aspect in designing image-processing systems based on Type 2 fuzzy rules characterization for identifying fixed and moving images. The proposed fuzzy method obtained an accuracy rate for identifying and recognizing moving objects of 98% and a mean square error of 0.1183464 less than other studies. It also achieved a very high rate of correctly predicting malicious objects equal to recall = 0.98121 and a precision rate of 1. The test’s accuracy was evaluated using the F1 Score, which obtained a high percentage of 0.99052.


Author(s):  
Anuradha Mathrani ◽  
Sanjay Mathrani

Purpose The paper aims to capture the nuances of two client–supplier relationships to offer new insights on the influences of transactional, knowledge and social elements in outsourcing partnerships. Design/methodology/approach The study has used descriptive case studies with narrative storylines. Interviews were conducted with three relationship managers (boundary gatekeepers) to understand preferred governance practices between clients and suppliers in diverse economic markets. Findings Experiences of three real-life cases engaged in offshore outsourcing have helped to identify the market, operational knowledge and social influences in a relational exchange. Findings reveal that offshore partnerships are first constituted with service-level agreements, which set control measures and layout business expectations from both partners. Boundary gatekeepers bring further accountability across firms by designing social networks for capturing and sharing of knowledge, thereby reducing each partner’s perception of risk. As firms evaluate transactional, knowledge and social elements for building a futuristic relational exchange, more disaggregated and dispersed enterprises evolve as new opportunities are explored in foreign markets. Research limitations/implications The retrospective nature of the client–supplier partnership is a limitation in this research study. However, retrospection adds to experience, and to practice perspectives made in hindsight, and therefore has a positive influence in this study. Originality/value This paper shares real-world experiences that can be used by scholars and practitioners to better understand how relational governance practices operate in a global socio-economic setting.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dyanne Brendalyn Mirasol-Cavero ◽  
Lanndon Ocampo

Purpose University department efficiency evaluation is a performance assessment on how departments use their resources to attain their goals. The most widely used tool in measuring the efficiency of academic departments in data envelopment analysis (DEA) deals with crisp data, which may be, often, imprecise, vague, missing or predicted. Current literature offers various approaches to addressing these uncertainties by introducing fuzzy set theory within the basic DEA framework. However, current fuzzy DEA approaches fail to handle missing data, particularly in output values, which are prevalent in real-life evaluation. Thus, this study aims to augment these limitations by offering a fuzzy DEA variation. Design/methodology/approach This paper proposes a more flexible approach by introducing the fuzzy preference programming – DEA (FPP-DEA), where the outputs are expressed as fuzzy numbers and the inputs are conveyed in their actual crisp values. A case study in one of the top higher education institutions in the Philippines was conducted to elucidate the proposed FPP-DEA with fuzzy outputs. Findings Due to its high discriminating power, the proposed model is more constricted in reporting the efficiency scores such that there are lesser reported efficient departments. Although the proposed model can still calculate efficiency no matter how much missing and unavailable, and uncertain data, more comprehensive data accessibility would return an accurate and precise efficiency score. Originality/value This study offers a fuzzy DEA formulation via FPP, which can handle missing, unavailable and imprecise data for output values.


Biosensors ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgina Ross ◽  
Maria Bremer ◽  
Jan Wichers ◽  
Aart van Amerongen ◽  
Michel Nielen

Lateral Flow Immunoassays (LFIAs) allow for rapid, low-cost, screening of many biomolecules such as food allergens. Despite being classified as rapid tests, many LFIAs take 10–20 min to complete. For a really high-speed LFIA, it is necessary to assess antibody association kinetics. By using a label-free optical technique such as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR), it is possible to screen crude monoclonal antibody (mAb) preparations for their association rates against a target. Herein, we describe an SPR-based method for screening and selecting crude anti-hazelnut antibodies based on their relative association rates, cross reactivity and sandwich pairing capabilities, for subsequent application in a rapid ligand binding assay. Thanks to the SPR selection process, only the fast mAb (F-50-6B12) and the slow (S-50-5H9) mAb needed purification for labelling with carbon nanoparticles to exploit high-speed LFIA prototypes. The kinetics observed in SPR were reflected in LFIA, with the test line appearing within 30 s, almost two times faster when F-50-6B12 was used, compared with S-50-5H9. Additionally, the LFIAs have demonstrated their future applicability to real life samples by detecting hazelnut in the sub-ppm range in a cookie matrix. Finally, these LFIAs not only provide a qualitative result when read visually, but also generate semi-quantitative data when exploiting freely downloadable smartphone apps.


Author(s):  
Harry C. Petersen ◽  
Amy Rummel

Abstract This paper demonstrates the advantages of logistics studies which include detailed transportation simulations based on mechanical engineering principles. Complex transportation system parameters are often averaged, aggregated, or assumed, resulting in models with questionable validity. Detailed simulations of route-specific real-world vehicle performance for analysis systems (such as Transport Probability Analysis) can often provide more accurate predictors of logistics system performance, resulting in valid projections of system transport times, costs, inventory levels, energy usage, standards, and quality control measures. A discussion of logistics is followed by examples of progressively complex logistics transportation simulations and models. Results of a moderately detailed performance-based simulation of high speed trains for the Texas Triangle are used to demonstrate the fallacy of assuming “average” performance measures. Future logistics studies will require detailed vehicle performance simulations using sound mechanical engineering practice, requiring interdisciplinary teams which include mechanical engineers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-52
Author(s):  
Dada Docot

#CommunityPantryPH is a mutual aid movement that began in the Philippines in April 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The movement is founded on the slogan ‘give what you can afford, take what you need.’ Instead of the movement receiving an overwhelming welcome, especially within conditions of food scarcity and health insecurity during the long-lasting pandemic, the Duterte government attacked volunteers with ‘red-tagging’ tactics—the malicious calling out of individuals as communists, which may result in harm both online and in real life to those red-tagged. The public response also circulated myths about the supposed indolence of Filipinos receiving aid and how the volunteers are fanning a culture of dependence among the poor. In this article, I introduce the concepts of ‘carceral memory’ and ‘colonial memory’ in understanding colonially inherited punitive, civilising, and self-deprecatory logics that have become embedded in postcolonial disciplinary regimes, and which suppress dissent and shape popular attitude and consciousness in the Global South.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document