57,968 research outputs found
Fluctuations in Number of Cercospora beticola Conidia in Relationship to Environment and Disease Severity in Sugar Beet
All content of Phytopathology is open access without restriction 12 months after publicationCercospora leaf spot, caused by Cercospora beticola, is the most damaging foliar disease of sugar beet in Minnesota (MN) and North Dakota (ND). Research was conducted to characterize the temporal progression of aerial concentration of C. beticola conidia in association with the environment and disease severity in sugar beet. In 2003 and 2004, volumetric spore traps were placed within inoculated sugar beet plots to determine daily dispersal of conidia at Breckenridge, MN, and St. Thomas, ND. Plots were rated weekly for disease severity. At both locations, conidia were first collected in early July 2003 and late June in 2004. Peaks of conidia per cubic meter of air were observed with maxima in late August 2003 and in early September 2004 at both locations. Peaks of airborne conidium concentration were significantly correlated with the average temperature of daily hours when relative humidity was greater than 87%. Weekly mean hourly conidia per cubic meter of air was significantly (P <0.01) associated with disease severity during both years and across locations. This study showed that C. beticola conidial numbers may be used to estimate potential disease severity that, with further research, could be incorporated in a disease forecasting model to rationalize Cercospora leaf spot management.Peer reviewe
The Mediating Role of Real-Time Information Between Location-Based User-Generated Content and Tourist Gift Purchase Intention
The global use of Web 2.0 applications has generated enormous
volumes of user content. Drawing on cognitive load theory, this study examines unexplored factors that influence gift purchase intention of tourists. The authors identify localization and realtime information for shaping tourists' gift purchase intention, which is facilitated by reduced cognitive overload. Analyzes of the study relies on a sample of 273 foreign tourists in Malaysia. A cross-sectional quantitative study is conducted using partial least square structural equation modeling. Results showed that location-based user-generated content and real-time information significantly affect gift purchase intention of tourists. Moreover, real-time information partially mediates the relationship between location-based user-generated content and gift purchase intention
Association between pretreatment haemoglobin levels and morphometric characteristics of the tumour, response to neoadjuvant treatment and long-term outcomes in patients with locally advanced rectal cancers
Aim
The study was carried out to investigate whether
pretreatment haemoglobin (Hb) levels act as a biomar-
ker in the management of patients with locally advanced
rectal cancer.
Method\ud
We prospectively collected data on all patients
within our cancer network with localized low rectal
cancer treated with preoperative radiotherapy/chemora-
diotherapy at Mount Vernon Centre for Cancer Treat-
ment between March 1994 and July 2008. Pretreatment
Hb level was assessed as an independent variable for the
whole study sample and dichotomised at a value of 12 g/dl.
A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was
conducted on parameters that had significant association
on univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) and cor-
relational (Kendall tau/Pearson) analyses. Kaplan
ā
Meier
survival analysis and Cox proportional hazard models
were used to determine significant prognostic markers.
Statistical significance was set at 0.05.
Results
463 patients (male/female 2:1; median age
=
66 years, interquartile range
=
56.5
ā
73.0) were included
in the analysis. There was significant tumour response of
T stage (
P
<
0.001) and N stage (
P
<
0.001), with
17.6% of patients achieving a pathological complete
response. Pretreatment Hb value was inversely related to
the craniocaudal vertical tumour length (
P
=
0.02) and
pretreatment T stage of the tumour (
P
=
0.01). Patients
with Hb levels of
<
12 g/dl and moderately differenti-
ated adenocarcinoma were less responsive. Local recur-
rence was more common in patients with a pretreatment
Hb of
<
12 g/dl (hazard ratio
=
1.78) over a median
follow up of 24 months, but this was not statistically
significant (
P
=
0.08).
Conclusion
The pretreatment Hb level might be used
as a biomarker of rectal tumour morphology, response
to neoadjuvant chemoradiation and risk of local recur-
renc
- ā¦