scholarly journals Macroscopic and Microscopic Modifications of Wood after Debarking of Trees in the South Cameroon

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Ghislain Kenguem Kinjouo ◽  
Marie Caroline Momo Solefack ◽  
Victor François Nguetsop

Wounding of trees by debarking has been reported to form a callus tissue. This work aims to investigate macroscopic and microscopic modifications of wood after the removal of barks in Alstonia boonei, Scorodophloeus zenkeri, and Garcinia lucida. Species that are not yet barking were wounded to conducting experimental debarking. The wound was rectangular with 30 cm vertically with a lateral extent of 10 cm. Every three months, there was a follow-up for fifteen months during which the macroscopic and microscopic phenomena were observed and recorded. Microsections of 15–20 μm thickness were taken on a piece of wood from the regenerated and intact wood, with a sledge microtome. Staining of cell walls was done with safranin and fast green to increase contrast in an anatomical slide. Analyzes of the variability of xylem anatomical features were done by semi-automatic measurements using the SpectrumSee digital image analysis software. The speed of recovery of the bark of these three species is 9.04 cm/year for A. boonei, 5.9 cm/year for S. zenkeri, and 3.85 cm/year for G. lucida. The recovery of A. boonei’s bark is the fastest, and it just takes 15 months to heal its wound. Densities of vessels were 8, 38, and 17 per mm², respectively, for the wood of A. boonei, S. zenkeri, and G. lucida before barking. These values increased for A. boonei (26) and G. lucida (20) except for S. zenkeri (25). In all species, the diameter of the vessels has decreased in the regenerated wood. Management practices that enhance the monitoring of sustainable harvesting levels of species and promote alternative plants for the same uses should be considered as part of conservation strategies.

2017 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 132
Author(s):  
Marie Caroline Momo Solefack ◽  
Hans Beeckman ◽  
Lucie Felicite Temgoua ◽  
Ghislain Kenguem Kinjouo

The aim of this work was to investigate the possible anatomical changes of Garcinia lucida and Scorodophloeus zenkeri after the removal of their bark. Debarking was done on individuals of each species at 1.30 m from the soil. The wound was rectangular in shape with 30 cm side. There was a follow-up every three months for nine months during which the survival and rate of regeneration of the bark were recorded. A block of cube was cut from the regenerated and intact wood of species for microtomy and microscopy activities. On the cross-section of each wood, vessel features like density and diameter were measured before and after wounding. Semi-automatic measurements were made using the SpectrumSee digital image analysis software. In the wood of the two species, it appeared that the density of the vessels before debarking was significantly comparable to the density after debarking, while the diameter of vessels in the regenerated wood was smaller. The cambial area increased slightly in the rainy season for all species. After nine months all the species started the restoration of their conductive zone. G. lucida heals its wound more rapidly than S. zenkeri.


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 2060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Serkan Ozkaya ◽  
Wojciech Neja ◽  
Sylwia Krezel-Czopek ◽  
Adam Oler

The objective of this study was to predict bodyweight and estimate body measurements of Limousin cattle using digital image analysis (DIA). Body measurements including body length, wither height, chest depth, and hip height of cattle were determined both manually (by measurements stick) and by using DIA. Body area was determined by using DIA. The images of Limousin cattle were taken while cattle were standing in a squeeze chute by a digital camera and analysed by image analysis software to obtain body measurements of each animal. While comparing the actual and predicted body measurements, the accuracy was determined as 98% for wither height, 97% for hip height, 94% for chest depth and 90.6% for body length. Regression analysis between body area and bodyweight yielded an equation with R2 of 61.5%. The regression equation, which included all body traits, resulted in an R2 value of 88.7%. The results indicated that DIA can be used for accurate prediction of body measurements and bodyweight of Limousin cattle.


Plant Disease ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Wallis ◽  
Isabella Magna Yannuzzi ◽  
Mei-Wah Choi ◽  
John Spafford ◽  
Matthew Siemon ◽  
...  

Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora, is one of the most important diseases of apple. The antibiotic streptomycin is routinely used in the commercial apple industries of New York and New England to manage the disease. In 2002, and again from 2011 to 2014, outbreaks of streptomycin resistance (SmR) were reported and investigated in NY. Motivated by new grower reports of control failures, we conducted a follow-up investigation of the distribution of SmR and E. amylovora strains for major apple production regions of NY over the last six years (2015-2020). Characterization of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR) profiles revealed that a few ‘cosmopolitan’ strains were widely prevalent across regions, while many other ‘resident’ strains were confined to one location. In addition, we uncovered novel CRISPR profile diversity in all investigated regions. SmR E. amylovora was detected only in a small area spanning two counties from 2017 to 2020, and always associated with one CRISPR profile (41:23:38), which matched the profile of SmR E. amylovora discovered in 2002. This suggests the original SmR E. amylovora was never fully eradicated and went undetected due to several seasons of low disease pressure in this region. Investigation of several representative isolates under controlled greenhouse conditions indicated significant differences in aggressiveness on ‘Gala’ apples. Potential implications of strain differences include the propensity of strains to become distributed across wide geographic regions and associated resistance management practices. Results from this work will directly influence sustainable fire blight management recommendations for commercial apple industries in NY State and other regions.


2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Hagermoser Sanetti ◽  
Kathleen M. Williamson ◽  
Anna C. J. Long ◽  
Thomas R. Kratochwill

Numerous evidence-based classroom management strategies to prevent and respond to problem behavior have been identified, but research consistently indicates teachers rarely implement them with sufficient implementation fidelity. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementation planning, a strategy involving logistical intervention implementation planning and identification of implementation barriers, and participant modeling, a strategy involving didactic and in vivo intervention training, on teachers’ implementation of an evidence-based classroom management plan. A randomized multiple treatment embedded within a multiple baseline design across participants was used to assess (a) teachers’ adherence to the classroom management plans and quality of implementation and (b) student disruptive behavior in the classroom immediately and at follow-up. Results indicated that teachers’ adherence and quality increased with both implementation planning and participant modeling, but these improvements were not fully maintained at 1- and 2-month follow-up. A similar pattern in student disruptive behavior was also observed. These findings highlight the need for ongoing implementation support for behavioral interventions in schools. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-141
Author(s):  
G. Michael Bowen ◽  
Richard Zurawski ◽  
Anthony Bartley

News media presentations of STEM (and particularly science) in various formats have been critiqued for the many ways by which they misrepresent both the facts of the discipline and the practices of the discipline and the researchers in them. Another issue is that the material is presented in a format – basically a one-way transmission – with usually little opportunity for questions by the recipients (i.e., readers, listeners, viewers, etc.) to be addressed when they don’t understand something. One news media format which might allow this dialogic activity is the radio call-in show format which is structured so that the public can ask questions of a “scientist” with the opportunity for follow-up questions to address what are discontinuities in the listener’s understanding. In this paper we document the processes by which listener interests ultimately end up discussed in the radio broadcast and what influences the “science” that is presented on-air. Our analysis reports the ways in which the STEM topics and content are mediated by radio station personnel, often times distorting the factual content available to the public and misrepresenting the practices of the research fields, as they engage in information management practices which are typical of opinion-driven shows (such as those on the topics of politics or sports) which are designed to create controversy and drama to increase ratings.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Zarei ◽  
Mohsen Rostami ◽  
Furqan Mohammed Yaseen Khan

Background: Revision surgery of spine can be a complex procedure and has known complications. It involves hardware revision, removal of scar/callus tissue, realignment of sagittal balance, and anterior augmentation. However, through this report, we aim to demonstrate that a stand-alone rod augmentation at the failure site without removal of scar/callus tissue and/or anterior fixation can achieve excellent results in select cases. Case Report: A 66-year-old woman underwent L2 pedicle subtraction osteotomy (PSO) + T9-iliac fixation for fixed sagittal imbalance and osteoporotic collapse of L3. One year later, she developed progressive axial lumbar pain and difficulty in mobilization. The patient was diagnosed with pseudoarthrosis and instrumentation failure and underwent revision spine surgery with stand-alone rod augmentation. She had anuneventful rehabilitation and showed complete radiographic union and excellent clinical outcome in the 2-year follow-up. Conclusion: Stand-alone rod augmentation can provide stable posterior construct to prevent future pseudoarthrosis and/or instrumentation failure after revision spine surgery in selected cases. Anterior augmentation or resection dural scar tissue or dissection through callus tissue is not always necessary.  


Sexual Health ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 495 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derek Chan ◽  
David Gracey ◽  
Michael Bailey ◽  
Deborah Richards ◽  
Brad Dalton

Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is common in HIV infection. With no specific Australian guidelines for the screening and management of CVD in HIV-infected patients, best clinical practice is based on data from the general population. We evaluated adherence to these recommendations by primary care physicians who treat HIV-infected patients. Methods: Primary care physicians with a special interest in HIV infection were asked to complete details for at least 10 consecutive patient encounters using structured online forms. This included management practices pertaining to blood pressure (BP), blood glucose, electrocardiogram, lipid profile and CVD risk calculations. We assessed overall adherence to screening and follow-up recommendations as suggested by national and international guidelines. Results: Between May 2009 and March 2010, 43 physicians from 25 centres completed reporting for 530 HIV-infected patients, of whom 93% were male, 25% were aged 41–50 years and 83% were treated with antiretrovirals. Risk factors for CVD were common and included smoking (38%), hyperlipidaemia (16%) and hypertension (28%). In men aged >40 years and women aged >50 years without evidence of ischaemic heart disease, only 14% received a CVD risk assessment. Lipid and BP assessments were performed in 87% and 88% of patients, respectively. Conclusions: This Australian audit provides unique information on the characteristics and management of HIV and CVD in clinical practice. We have found a high burden of risk for CVD in HIV-infected Australians, but current screening and management practices in these patients fall short of contemporary guidelines.


AMBIO ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 50 (2) ◽  
pp. 281-288
Author(s):  
Arjen Buijs ◽  
Maarten Jacobs

AbstractRecently, new approaches to wildlife management are being developed, such as coexistence management and convivial conservation. These approaches aim to shift management practices from mitigating human–wildlife conflicts towards cohabitation and explore mutual benefits. To align empirical research to these new approaches, we argue for the relevance of positive psychology theory to inspire and structure research into the benefits of human–wildlife interactions. Positive psychology suggests three pathways through which human–wildlife interactions may lead to happiness and well-being: pleasure, engagement, and meaning. Applying these pathways to human–wildlife research may (i) structure existing research into the benefits of human–wildlife interactions, (ii) disclose unidentified benefits of human–wildlife interactions, and (iii) unravel mechanisms which make experiencing and protecting wildlife worthwhile and rewarding. Also, we suggest a potential feedback loop between wildlife experiences, happiness and well-being, and pro-environmental behaviours. More in-depth research into these mechanisms may improve our understanding of attitudes towards conservation of wildlife and its habitat and may suggest strategies to strengthen stewardship actions and public support for conservation strategies. Together, these strands of research could initiate research into what could be called a “Positive Ecology”.


2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Small ◽  
M Kingsland ◽  
L Wolfenden ◽  
J Tindall ◽  
B Rowland ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 58 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew L. Faron ◽  
Blake W. Buchan ◽  
Ryan F. Relich ◽  
James Clark ◽  
Nathan A. Ledeboer

ABSTRACT Automation of the clinical microbiology laboratory has become more prominent as laboratories face higher specimen volumes and understaffing and are becoming more consolidated. One recent advancement is the use of digital image analysis to rapidly distinguish between chromogenic growth for screening bacterial cultures. In this study, colony segregation software developed by Copan (Brescia, Italy) was evaluated to distinguish between significant growth and no growth of urine cultures plated onto standard blood and MacConkey agars. Specimens from 3 sites were processed on a WASP instrument (Copan) and incubated on the WASPLab platform (Copan), and plates were imaged at 0 and 24 hours postinoculation. Images were read by technologists following validated laboratory protocols (VLPs), and results were recorded in the laboratory information systems (LIS). Image analysis performed colony counts on the 24-hour images, and results were compared with the VLP. A total of 12,931 urine cultures were tested and analyzed with an overall sensitivity and specificity of 99.8% and 72.0%, respectively. After secondary review, 91.1% of manual-positive/automation-negative specimens were due to expert rules that reported the plate as contaminated or growing only normal flora and not due to threshold counts. Nine specimens were found to be manual-positive/automation-negative; a secondary review demonstrated that the results of 8 of these specimens were due to growth of microcolonies that were programmed to be ignored by the software and 1 were due to a colony count near the limit of significance. Overall, the image analysis software proved to be highly sensitive and can be utilized by laboratories to batch-review negative cultures to improve laboratory workflow.


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